Mobian Legends The Series
by RingtailedFox
Summary: This story continues where SatAM Sonic left off, as an unofficial "Third Season". Mobian Legends chronicles how the Knothole Freedom Fighters cope with coming of age, as well as how they handle the new enemies that fill in Robotnik's position.
1. Chapter 1

Mobian Legends Prologue/SatAM Episode 26: The Doomsday Machine, Part II

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: June 14, 3235 - Doomsday  
- - - - - -

Prologue - Only One Chance

Note: To fully understand some aspects of this story, the reader should be familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Sonic and Sally".

The thunder rumbles as the dark storm clouds hang low in the sky, over the polluted city of Robotropolis. A familiar blue streak flies along the desert floor between the city and the Great Forest. The sky is an eerie brown-red as the storm rolls in, shortly after sunset. The air is filled with the stench of pollution and static electricity.

Sonic runs quickly towards the city with Sally in his arms. They both know their planet is dying from Doctor Robotnik's over-pollution and world-conquering techno-terror, and this may be their only chance to finally put an end to him and save it. Robotnik's Doomsday Machine is not just a threat to their way of life, but their very lives. It is mass-producing Destroyer Pods and is sending them all over the planet via subterranean tunnels, creating them on assembly-lines by the thousands.  
"We're almost to Robotropolis. I hope we have enough ammo to take that thing out." Sonic says as he runs, passing destroyed smaller buildings in the outer suburbs of their once proud city.  
"It should be, and if not, we're in deep trouble, Sonic." The princess replies. Sonic runs through the cluttered and deserted streets of the robot-patrolled city, still a far way off from what is left of Downtown Robotropolis.  
"Sonic, we have company!" Sally says to her hero, noticing a swatbot patrol craft hovering towards them. Sonic hides in an alley as it passes. "Too close for comfort." The two furs think to themselves.  
"We're almost there. I'd say now is our last chance to turn back and re-think the plan." Sonic says looking around the corner, noticing the coast is clear.  
"We can't turn back, Sonic. If we do, then we've doomed the entire planet." Sally tells her friend. Sonic smirks at hearing that, knowing what Sally means.  
"Then let's rock and roll." He says, picking her back up, running towards the center of the city, where Robotnik's command center is.

The City looms off in the distance; its gleaming towers are visible against the red-brown-black sky, stormy and distorted from all the pollution as the sun sets low in the skies. Darkness falls as our two heroes run deeper into the city, undetected so far from the spy surveillance camera network, thanks to Sonic's uncle for disabling everything without being spotted.  
"This looks way worse than I thought. It kinda stings my lungs to even breathe the air here." he says, coughing a bit.  
"I know. The pollution is taking its toll on everything. Even more of a reason to take the Doomsday machine out of commission before the whole planet is wiped out." Sally replies as she holds on tight to Sonic, watching the streets and buildings whip by at over two hundred kilometers per hour.  
"All we need to do is find it, and I'll put those bombs in my backpack to use." The blue blur says, making a mental note and reminding the princess of their goal.

They run for a little while through the city streets, strewn with wreckage and rubble, before coming to a "clearing", which was basically a deserted parkland turned into launching pads and landing strips, with a huge building in the center. Sonic stops dead in his tracks as he looks at the building, gently putting Sally on the ground. She stands next to him, in awe.  
"Oh... my... god... that can't be it... It's bigger than what our spies thought." She whispers.  
"It's incredible... We just need to find a way inside." Sonic agrees.  
Princess Sally whips out her hand-held computer assistant "NICOLE".;  
"NICOLE, is there a way inside without setting off security alarms or being caught?" She asks.  
"Processing now, Sally." The handheld computer replies. NICOLE scans the perimeter and building schematics, giving a three-dimensional holographic layout-map, including two dots of where they are. NICOLE then comes to a conclusion to Sally's query.  
"Negative. The only way inside is to disable the security consoles." It says.  
"Where the heck are they?" An annoyed and impatient Sonic asks.  
"In the vast sewer network below the city. You can sneak in with just two disabled, but they are located here, and here." NICOLE says as it shows a map of the city's sewer, subway, and tunnel network. One is under the blue egg-shaped building, which is Robotnik's headquarters, and the other is near their current location, just fifty meters to the south at the face of the building. Sonic paces slowly as he thinks.  
"I think I can sneak in and disable those two. How long will they be down for once I destroy them?" NICOLE replies, but the news isn't too pleasing.  
"Anywhere from two to ten minutes at the most." Princess Sally says as she goes over her plan in her mind. "That doesn't give us much time. It looks like Robotnik's learning from his past mistakes..."  
"Yeah, but we don't have time to compliment 'buttnik for having the intelligence of an ant. Let's get moving." He says and then runs off towards the first security console. Some swatbots approach, sensing the two heroes in action. Princess Sally sees the swatbots approaching.  
"I'll disable the console. I need you to lure the swatbots away." She tells Sonic, seeing a laser shoot and hit the wall near her. Sonic nods.  
"No problem." he replies as he runs off and distracts the security swatbots.  
"Hey, heavy metal-heads! Over here!" He shouts, aiming a makeshift sling-shot at them. They turn his way and he launches a bag full of metal-eating acid-powder that Rotor made, right at them. They fall to the ground and short circuit, starting to corrode and rust already, powered down from failure. Princess Sally continues working on the console with NICOLE, disabling it and scrambling its coding. Sonic comes back after he destroys the security robots.  
"Think we can get in with just this one down?" Princess Sally shakes her head.  
"We need both down, because this one only allows access inside. The second one guards the machine's core. I managed to get this one down, but we need to hurry to the next one." "Say no more." Sonic says as he picks her up and runs off towards the second security console.

They find a sewer cover on the other side of the gates and open it, crawling down as they sneak into the sewer tunnels. They immediately find the second security control system. Sally looks around, and then cautiously walks up to it. She starts to disable the security system for the core.  
"I wonder why this one was so unguarded..." She ponders to herself as she and NICOLE work on unscrambling the system.  
"Decoy, maybe? Or maybe Robotnik's slipping..." Sonic says, half-joking, half-serious.  
"I'm more worried of an ambush." the princess says in reply.  
They wait a second, before seeing it work.  
"Bingo!" Sally says to herself.

As if triggered by the security shut-down, two swatbots enter the sewers, and immediately fire at Sally and Sonic.  
"Priority One: Capture Hedgehog." One of the swatbots says, as it fires at Sonic.  
"I'll take care of those butt-bots, Sally." He says, jumping towards the SwatBots.  
The blue hedgehog makes quick work of the two robotic soldiers, disabling them with a powerful kick which damages their internal circuitry.  
"Problem solved." He says, dusting his hands off as he stands atop the two destroyed robots.  
"Alright. Now we're back on track." Sally says as Sonic picks her up.  
"Next stop: Doomsday." Sonic says as he runs through the sewers.

The two Freedom Fighters crawl out of the sewer as they arrive at the Doomsday Machine, just a couple of city blocks from Robotnik's Headquarters. The building is like a very tall cone, standing roughly seventy-nine floors tall. It is a huge, multi-layered assembly-line, with some Destroyer Pods flying out into the city, while the rest of them leave the building in underground tunnels, to re-emerge all over the planet.  
"Sal, this is it. Do, or die. I just want you to know in case we don't make it out... I love you." Sonic holds Sally's hand with his own, looking at his girlfriend's eyes. Sally looks into Sonic's eyes in return, holding it firmly.  
"I love you too, Sonic." She replies to him.  
"Sal, maybe you should head back to Knothole. This is too dangerous for you. It's best if I go alone." Sonic says, holding her hands.  
"If I'd be anywhere during your finest moment, it's your side." She smiles at him. He smirks.  
"Alright! Let's go level that sucker!" Sonic cheers.  
"NICOLE? Where are the best places to place the bombs?" Sally asks her computer.  
"Those places would be here, Sally." NICOLE shows it another hologram, this time of the Doomsday Machine. Sally places NICOLE back in her pocket as Sonic picks her up, running towards the Doomsday Machine. Sally and Sonic drop bombs off in selected places around the base of the factory and through it at pre-determined places, as NICOLE tells them to.

The two intrepid heroes make it to the top floor of the building, when he is captured with Sally inside a small diamond-glass dome. Sonic hits his head, being stopped suddenly. Sally gets up and helps Sonic as Robotnik enters.  
"So, hedgehog. Did you think you slipped in here unseen? I watched your every move." He says to his adversary from the other side of the diamond glass.  
"You're going down, fat man! Just wait and see!" Sonic growls, as he tries to spin-dash his way out.  
Princess Sally pounds on the glass a couple of times.  
"You are truly despicable, Robotnik." She says, very scornfully. Robotnik takes a step back.  
"Thank you, princess. However, I have better accommodations for you." He chuckles as he presses a button, watching them being sucked down a pipe into a containment room. Sonic lands on the floor quite roughly, rubbing his head as he gets up.  
"Ow...where are we?" he asks, looking around. Princess Sally looks around the room they are trapped in.  
"I don't know..." Sonic says, and then realizes a harsh fact.  
"Sally, I just remembered, we only have one of the Power Stones. Where is the other one? Does Tails have it?" he asks. Sally shakes her head.  
"I don't think he does. We wouldn't be that lucky. I think Robotnik has it." She says.  
"Which means, it would be very heavily guarded." Sonic says to himself. Just as they quiet themselves, some swatbots walk in, lead by Snively.  
"Alright, you two. Freeze." he says in his normally nasal voice. The swatbots aim their guns at them. "How do we get out of this one?" Sonic whispers to Sally. Sally walks closely behind Sonic, looking at every possible item and object in the room.  
"I'm thinking..." Sonic and Sally start to get a bit nervous as they are lead closer to the roboticizer.  
"Doctor Robotnik will be so pleased with this." Snively says as he dials his room on the communication computer. Sally waits a few seconds, "Now!" She shouts as she performs a drop-kick on a swatbot, while Sonic saws one in half. Snively notices the little rebellion, and shouts into the communication microphone.  
"Security breach! Sector 4! All swatbots attack!" He presses an alarm as Sonic runs to a vent and opens it, holding out his hand for Sally, pulling her in with him.  
"Let's go. I have the feeling we're not welcome here." The blue blur tells Sally in front of Snively, sarcastic as usual. Sonic runs off through the sewer and subway system underneath the ground of Mobotropolis, before hopping out through a vent, and reaching knothole a few minutes later. Once there, they are greeted by their friends. Antoine is the first to approach them.  
"Did you two succeed in destroying zee doomsday machine?" He asks. Sonic shakes his head, much to the Freedom Fighters' disbelief.  
"We were captured before we could take it down." Princess Sally can only add to the bad news.  
"We also discovered that Robotnik has the other power Stone." She says.  
"Alors! Can he be stopped?" The French coyote asks.  
"I honestly don't know. Without the Power Stones, I doubt we can." Tails walks up with Rotor.  
The little kitsune was just full of questions.  
"You want me to go and scout the city for the power stones?" Tails asked.  
Sonic, while proud of his little "brother's" enthusiasm to help, cannot let Tails venture into harm's way.  
"No way, T2. That city is way too dangerous. Especially since the doomsday machine's come online. We barely escaped from being roboticized earlier." He replies.

Princess Sally rummages through their backpacks, finding precious few supplies, along with Sonic's Power Ring almost out of its energy.  
"I'll get our power stone, Sonic. You and Rotor get a power ring. We'll need it." She tells them.  
"You two went into Robotropolis without a spare power ring or the stone?" Rotor asks, quite surprised.  
"We were scouting to see how heavily guarded it was." Sonic replies. Rotor nods his head.  
"Hmm." He muses.  
They hear Bunnie running in the distance.  
"I'll be right back. I'll get you guys a ring." Tails says, as he runs off towards the Power Ring pond.  
Tails returns a few minutes later.  
"We'll man the fort here." Rotor says, saluting Sally and Sonic.  
"And we'll go take out the Doomsday Machine." Sally says. Tails then returns with a golden glowing ring.  
"You can't go without a ring." he says, passing it to Sally.  
"Thank you, Tails! You've been such a big help!" She congratulates the blushing fox pup. All the Freedom Fighters, Dulcy and Tails included, put all their paws together.  
"For Freedom, For Our King, and for our Forest!" They all cheer before parting.

Sally and Sonic return towards Mobotropolis. Sally is a bit quiet as she runs, as if she's concentrating on something.  
"Sal... are you alright?" Sonic asks her. "Yeah. I'm fine, Sonic. It's just... well, my Father..." She answers.  
"...is going to be freed right after we nail ol' 'Buttnik." He says as he pounds one fist into another. "Sally, I swear on my own life that I will bring your father safe and sound from the Void." He continues, and then kissed her nose softly.  
"Thank you, Sonic. That made me feel a lot better." She smiles. He picks her up once more, taking off at near lightning speed across the desert as the storm starts to rage. The two furs' vision blurs as Sonic runs towards the city lights, dodging lightning strikes, rocks, and rubble through the rain, barely able to see from the darkness and their speed.

They return to Robotropolis, hiding under some debris.  
"Where do you think Robotnik has his power stone?" Sonic asks, looking over the rubble for any swatbots.  
"Probably somewhere heavily guarded." Sally replies.  
"That gives me an idea. Follow me." The blue-furred hedgehog says as he crawls into a vent on the side of a building. They run through basement passageways, and ventilation duct systems, all the way into Robotnik's command center, dodging the cameras and swatbots. They arrive in a secret room, holding the power stone. Sonic goes to crawl out of the vent, when he's told.  
"Be careful, Sonic!" Sally calls after him. She takes out an aerosol can and sprays around the area, the dust and mist causing lasers to light up. This surprises Sonic, who looks back up at her.  
"I will!" he says, as he walks up carefully, swiping the stone with a rock of equal size, walking back.  
"That was almost too easy." He laughs, until the room goes from dark and unlighted, to glowing with red light alarms.

Sirens and alarms go off. Robotnik is sitting at his command center, when he sees them on camera.  
"What are those two doing...? What? The Power Stone! But how? All swatbots report to the power stone chamber! The hedgehog has the stone!" He yells, ordering all swatbots towards the basement chamber of his building that houses the Power Stone. The two heroes hear this on the speaker system.  
"Oh, great. Let's get out of here!" Sonic says, pulling Sally into a ventilation duct, crawling with her.  
"I'm right behind you!" She says. Sonic runs through the halls with Sally close behind, and out of the building, before hiding out near the previously demolished swatbot factory.

Sonic and Sally take out their power stones. Sonic holds a power ring and one power stone, while Sally holds the other stone.  
"Well, it's now or never. We have one shot, Sally." He says to her.  
"Sonic, we have to be careful. What if this destroys more than the Doomsday Machine?" Sally asks, considering the titanic risks involved in pulling this stunt off.  
"What do you mean?" Sonic asks, not entirely aware of the consequences.  
"What if it destroys the entire planet? Remember how that thing has tunnels leading all over Mobius?" She reminds him.  
"Not cool. Still, we have no options, Sally. If we let that thing stay up, the planet will be destroyed." He replies.  
"I guess that's a risk we have to take." She says.  
"Sonic, hide!" She says as she pulls him further behind the rubble as a swatbot craft hovers by. They run behind the building and into a dark alleyway. Sonic holds his stone up, close to Sally's.  
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"  
"There's no turning back now." Sally replies, recalling "Enormous destruction, or great power... Sonic, we must use the stones for power." She says.  
"Enough power to stop Doomsday!" Sonic adds. They put the power stones together for great power, and they are given the gift of great speed with a huge flash, their bodies sparkling with a diamond-like radiance. Sally looks at her hands, noticing the sparkles, and the energy flowing through their bodies.  
"Wow...Sonic...This must be what using Power Rings feels like..." She exclaims.  
"Let's do it to it!" They yell out, holding hands as they run towards the building, holding the Power Stones as they are covered in a sparkling invincible shield. They shoot holes into the Doomsday Machine and damage it beyond repair. As they make their final retreat, it explodes into a giant fireball seen, and felt, all the way to Knothole Village, where the furries taking refuge erupt into cheer and celebration.

The Freedom Fighters come out cheering, some chanting "Freedom! Freedom!" while still others throw confetti in joy. Even Uncle Chuck and Muttski are there to join the party. He lets Sonic and Sally know that he and Rotor have restored the robians' will.  
"It's too bad..." Sonic says, casually. "'Too bad'? Why's that?" Sally asks, somewhat confused.  
"Without a villain, what are heroes for?" The hedgehog says, feeling like he's out of a job now.  
"You'll always be my hero, Sonic Hedgehog. She hugs and kisses him. Fireworks appear from the Power Stones, in the exact shape of Sonic and Sally kissing, as if projected from their bodies into the skies above Knothole Village.

In the rubble of the Doomsday Machine, an elevator opens up and Snively steps out, wearing an emperor's suit, laughing.  
"Well, the big round guy finally let Sonic defeat him." He laughs.  
"Well, it's my turn now... and I am not alone!" He cackles.  
Ixis Naugus follows out of the elevator, surveying the land from behind Snively for the first time in ages since being cast into The Void, known as the Zone of Silence.

A regally-clothed body is lying silently on the ground in the middle of the forest, near a meadow with a stream. Who is this stranger? How did he get here? What is his true rank?


	2. Chapter 2

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl SatAM  
Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: June 15-16, 3235 - After Doomsday  
- - - - - -

Chapter 1 - Return of the King

Sonic walks out of his hut the next morning and sees tails and Bunny playing hockey.  
"Good morning, guys." He says, yawning.  
"Mornin' sugah-hog." Bunny replies to Sonic.  
"Hey, Sonic! Wanna join us?" Tails asks.  
"Awww... I'd love to, little guy, but I have to go with Sally and Rotor to survey Robotropolis today." He says.  
"Ohhh... ok..." Tails says. Princess Sally and Rotor are almost done packing some supplies into a small cart for their trip to Robotropolis.  
"Looks like this should be all the computer equipment we'll need to bring the power grids back up, Sal." The walrus says.  
"Good. Bunnie, Sal, and I will scope it out. If it's safe, I'll come back for ya." Sonic tells Rotor.  
"I'll sit tight and hope for the best, Sonic. Good luck, guys." Rotor replies.  
"Thanks, Rotor. We'll need it." Sally replies.  
The three Freedom Fighters begin on their journey to the big city.  
"Alright. Sonic, we're ready to head out. Dulcy, Antoine, you guys are in charge of Knothole until we get back." Sally instructs them as they depart for the large city.  
"Awww... looks like I'm all alone again..." Tails says to himself as he goes exploring in the woods. He comes to his favorite meadow, his secret hide-out that only Sonic and Sally know of. This time, something's different. There's someone there, and they look unconscious. He approaches slowly.  
"Hey, are you alright? Who are you?" Tails asks.  
There's no answer aside from a groan. Tails touches his ear and it flicks.  
"My name's Miles Prower, but my friends call me 'Tails'!" He says. The King starts to move a bit, struggling to get up. Tails helps him up.  
"Ohhhh. Thank you, little one." He replies, staggering over before tails passes him a stick to help him walk, like a cane.  
"What's your name?" He asks curiously.  
"I'm King Max Acorn. Ruler of Mobius." He says to the young fox.  
"You're Aunt Sally's dad?" He asks.  
The King nods his head.  
"Yes, I am, Miles." He replies as they walk back to Knothole Village. The few furs out this early in the morning stop what they're doing in surprise and shock. Antoine is sawing some wood into smaller parts to build a house when a soft-furred hand touches his shoulder. He stops working and wipes the sweat off of his forehead. He turns his head, seeing it is the King.  
"My liege! You 'ave returned!" He says, getting down on one knee in respect.  
"Antoine, that is not necessary. How does Knothole stand? Is Robotnik gone?" He asks.  
"I don't know, sire. Rotor, Sally, and Sonic went to Robotropolis to find out." The coyote replies.  
"Very well. I wish to greet my daughter." The squirrel tells his subject.  
"B-but sire... it's very dangerous. We don't know what's out there. You could be hurt, or worse." Antoine respectfully answers.  
"Do we have any guns remaining? Body armor? Shields? Vehicles?" The King asks.  
Antoine shakes his head.  
"Robotnik destroyed it all. We have been thrown back into zee Middle Ages." He says.  
"Armour or not, I'm going, Antoine. I have to tell my daughter I've returned from the Void." He says, walking towards Robotropolis.  
"Sire! Wait!" Antoine yells.  
The King stops.  
"Yes?" He asks.  
"Sire, I shall protect you." He says, placing his sword in its sheath. The two furs walk towards Robotropolis, and reach the city within two hours.  
"Sire, I think zey would be inspecting Doctair Robtonik's command center. Perhaps we should search there?" Antoine inquires as he walks through the deserted streets with the King.  
"A logical idea, Antoine. Lead the way." King Max replies as they walk, approaching the giant, blue metallic egg-shaped structure. The sun shines eerily through the mist and haze.  
Meanwhile, In Robotropolis.  
Snively searches for Robotnik around their old base of operations, hoping his uncle is alive and well. He is unaware that the Freedom Fighters are on their way to retake the city.  
"I wonder if Doctor Robotnik survived the blast..." He thinks to himself, a bit nervous as he searches through the rubble.  
Ixis Naugus walks up from behind, scaring him when he speaks.  
"He did, but he's under my control now." He says with his eerily calm voice.  
"Where is he?" Snively asks. Ixis remains emotionless.  
"That doesn't concern you at this time. You should be more concerned of the Freedom Fighters capturing us." He replies. Snively chuckles at the thought.  
"The Freedom Fighters? I doubt they'd catch me. I'll soon be ruler of this mudball long before they'll even know what happened." He gloats.  
"Don't gloat, half-pint. If the quickster and his friends did your uncle in and caused all this damage, even with his technology, then what do you think we are to them?" He asks. Snively thinks for a second, then gets an idea.  
"Listen, Naugus, old pal... together, we could be a formidable force against those wretched freaks. We should team up and destroy them together. I'll give you the Great Forest as your own kingdom to sculpt as you see fit." Snively replies.  
"A very generous offer, but how do I know you won't betray me?" Ixis asks.  
"Simple. The problem with the Doctor is that he never gave a true genius a chance. I will succeed where my uncle failed." He grins evilly.  
The two figures walk into the Control Center, and soon reach Robotnik's operations room.  
"What is your plan on killing the Freedom Fighters, Snively?" Ixis asks.  
"I plan on incinerating the Great Forest with napalm. We'll burn and melt the furballs out." He grins.  
"I like that! Very efficient." Ixis speaks.  
"I had a feeling you'd like it." Snively laughs.

In the Great Forest, Sonic is talking with Sally and Bunnie.  
"Why do you think it's a better idea if Rotor stays behind?" Sonic asks.  
"Well, we don't really know what the effects of the Deep Power Stones had on Robotropolis. If we end up injured or worse, it's best if we have a couple Freedom Fighters to still man the fort. Besides, the void could have even opened up from disturbances caused by the Deep Power Stones. If things are safe, we'll bring Rotor to help us get things back online." Sally replies.  
"Man... I didn't think of that. Smart plan, Sal." Sonic says.  
"Thank you, Sonic." She smiles.

Deep within the tall Control Center in Robotropolis, a short figure is sitting in the large green chair, watching the computer monitors carefully.  
"Now that the sensor array is complete, I will see the furballs coming for miles. They may have gotten the drop repeatedly on the big fool... but I'm not so stupid."  
He then presses a couple buttons on the chair's console.  
"Computers, activate all anti-hedgehog weaponry." Snively speaks.  
The Freedom Fighters cautiously make their way through the rubble-strewn streets of Mobotropolis. They don't know what to expect or what they will find in the abandoned city. As Sonic and Sally lead the way deeper, they see a platoon of SwatBots marching down the street, inspecting for any rebel life forms.  
"Wait here, guys. I'll deal with the ugly squad." Sonic says, sneaking along the corner of the building, trying to stay out of sight.  
The hedgehog takes a power-ring out of his backpack and tosses it into the street in front of the SwatBots. This gets their attention, and they approach the ring. What they did not expect was Sonic leaping out from behind the corner. The blue-furred hedgehog buzz-saws one SwatBot's head clean off its neck. The others start firing their lasers at him, but miss.  
As he manages to destroy the other SwatBots, Sally and Bunnie approach him.  
"What's up, Sal?" He asks.  
"Sonic, we need to be careful. We don't know what happened to Snively, and he could be an even worse threat than the doctor was." She replies.  
"Not to mention he's small and easy to hide..." Bunnie adds.  
"We'll find him, and capture him, Sal." Sonic says as he walks down the street.  
The hedgehog steps on a hidden mine, and is blown back a few feet from the explosion.  
"SONIC!" Sally yells.  
"Sugah-Hog!" Bunnie yelps as she runs up, helping the blue-furred hedgehog back up.  
"Are you alright, Sonic?" Sally asks.  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Did ol' buttnik mine the streets?" He asks.  
"I think that was the work of Snively." Sally replies.  
"I think there's something else that's the work of Snively, Sally-girl..." Bunnie speaks, pointing upwards.  
The robotic rabbit sees two large re-inforced troop transporters approaching them.  
"Oh, great. The welcoming party." Sonic says, leading Sally and Bunnie to hide behind a pile of rubble.  
"Sir, we have lost visual contact with the Freedom Fighters." The swatbot pilot in one of the craft reports.  
"FOOLS! How could you lose them??? They were right in the middle of the street!" Snively yells.  
"Turning on heat scanners...." The robot reports, turning on the infrared sensors. "Targets found."  
"Good! Capture them alive! I want them alive!" Snively orders.  
The robots fire on the mound of rubble the Freedom Fighters are hiding behind.  
"Sally, we're trapped. What do we do?" Bunnie asks.  
"I have an idea. Sonic, do you have an extra power ring?" She asks.  
"Yeah, Sal... I always carry power rings with me..." Sonic replies.  
"We need to get to the Control Center and escape these SwatBots." Sally speaks.  
"I'm way ahead of ya, Sal." He says, taking out the second power-ring. "Hold on tight."  
Bunnie and Sally hold on tightly to Sonic as he runs very quickly towards the Control Center.

"NO NO NO! What are you robots even good for? Must I do EVERYTHING myself???" He yells, watching as Sonic and his friends approach.  
Sonic runs through the streets with Sally and Bunnie, quickly dodging the other SwatBots. Once they think it's safe, they sneak over towards the building, but see several SwatBots and robians testing special jets.  
"What's going on there?" Bunnie asks.  
"Looks like Snively might be testing a new type of fuel... we gotta shut everything down." Sally speaks.  
"Attention, SwatBots. Get those airships in the air immediately. Incinerate the Great Forest before Sonic and his meddlesome friends destroy you." Snively orders.  
"What are they talking about?" Sonic asks.  
"I'm not sure..." Sally replies.  
"Is that all fuel?" Bunnie asks.  
"No.... it looks like napalm... oh my god.... Snively's going to incinerate the whole Great Forest!" Sally figures it out, telling her friends.  
"No way are we gonna let that happen, guys." Bunnie says, peering behind the corner of the building.  
Sonic steps forward, but the robots see him.  
"Ahhh.... crap." He thinks to himself.  
The hedgehog looks around for anything he can use to his advantage as the robots approach. Bunnie jumps in from behind and kicks one of the robots into the others.  
"Time to crash yer little party, Snively!" Bunnie says, setting a detonator on one of the airships.  
"Alright, guys... run!" Bunnie says as she runs towards the exit of the building with Sonic and Sally.  
Thirty seconds later, a large explosion rips through the factory, spraying the area with the flaming gelatin known as napalm, incinerating anything and everything it touches. Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie shield themselves under a metal sheet.  
"Once this clears up, we nail Snively." Sonic says to his friends.  
"What? NOOOOO! CURSE THOSE FREEDOM FIGHTERS! I HATE THEM SO MUCH!!!!" Snively yells, witnessing the destruction of his airships.  
The tiny tyrant watches in anger as fire rains down on part of his city.  
"I wouldn't be that lucky... but I hope Sonic and his friends were toasted in that explosion..." He mutters to himself.  
Sonic looks out from beneath the metal sheet.  
"It's cool, ladies." He says, helping Sally and Bunnie up.  
The three Freedom Fighters then make a bee-line right for the Control center.  
"WARNING! HEDGEHOG INTRUDER!" The alarms speak.  
"Great. Well, I'm ready for you, hedgehog." He speaks, turning to Ixis Naugus.  
"Feel free to do what you wish to the Hedgehog and his friends. I just want him alive so I can roboticize him." Snively speaks.  
"Leave the Quickster to me, Snively." Ixis says.  
Sonic kicks in the door as he walks in, catching Ixis and Snively off-guard.  
"Game's over, Needle-nose!" Sonic speaks, approaching the short human.  
"Not so fast, Quickster. You are at my mercy here." Ixis says, turning Sonic's feet into crystal so he can't move.  
"Hey! Why'd you do that again? I thought you were on our side." Sonic asks.  
"I have my instructions from Snively to remove you. After Snively roboticizes everything, I intend to have the void swallow up the Great Forest, as my own kingdom." He speaks.  
"You won't get away with that, Naugus." Bunnie tells him, staying next to Sonic.  
"Oh, but my dear girl... it's already underway." He replies.  
Sally, meanwhile, crawls unseen under the control panel, and plugs NICOLE into a slot.  
"NICOLE, scramble the main systems." She whispers to her hand-held computer.  
"Working, Sally..." Nicole replies.  
As Snively is typing on the computer, issuing orders for all available SwatBot battalions to return to base to attack the Freedom Fighters, the system begins to short-circuit. The screens go blank all at once.  
"What the-- What's going on?" He asks.  
"Great job, NICOLE!" Sally says, reaching up to unplug her computer.  
Snively sees the brown-furred paw reaching up to disconnect her, and grasbs the princess' wrist.  
"Well, what do I have here?" He grins, pulling the princess out from underneath the panel.  
"You meddling twits may have destroyed my plans to incinerate the Great Forest... but I still have the three of you to Roboticize." He grins, walking up to the Roboticizer.  
The short human grabs Sally's wrist as he walks over to the Roboticizer. He types on the console connected to the roboticizer to activate it, holding her wrist firmly.  
"Don't try anything funny, princess. The game's over for you." He speaks as she struggles.  
"Yo, Naugus... why are you even taking orders from Snively, anyway?" Sonic asks.  
"We agreed that the Freedom Fighters were the bigger threat to Mobius. Robotnik is out of the picture, and once I find him, I will torture him for throwing me into the Void." He explains.  
"So why attack US? We're against Robotnik and Snively, too." the hedgehog speaks.  
"You wish to restore the Kingdom, and I won't let that happen." He tells Sonic.  
"We'll fight you wherever and whenever we need to, Ixis." Sonic defiantly speaks.  
"Then you can become Snively's personal statue." Ixis says, summoning a spell to crystallize Sonic.  
Bunnie sees this as her chance to attack, and lunges forward at Naugus when his eyes are closed, kicking him in the chest, knocking him over.  
"Change sugah-hog back, NOW!" She yells.  
"Or what?" He asks.  
Bunnie picks Ixis up by the collar of his cloak and holds him out the window.  
"You wanna be road-pizza, y'all can be my guest. I'm done playin' games with the likes of you..." She says.  
"Alright... I'll release him." He says, snapping his fingers and returning Sonic to normal.  
"Alright, Bunnie!" Sonic cheers, running over to Snively, pinning him against the Roboticizer.  
"Oh NO! AHH!" the human yelps.  
"Let Sal go, NOW!" He growls.  
"Alright..." Snively whimpers.  
"Now, you two scram! We're simply going to defeat you every time you try to cause trouble, so just save us the hassle and beat it." Sonic says, overconfident as usual.  
"You have not heard the last of Snively the Great! You will all tremble before me when I return!" He yells, running out of the city with Ixis Naugus.  
"Yeah, I doubt that." Sonic says. "Snively the GREAT???"  
The hedgehog starts laughing, before he remembers Bunnie and Sal.  
"Are you girls alright?" He asks.  
"Yeah, sugah." Bunnie replies.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sally speaks.  
"Good. I'll get Rotor over here to destroy the computers and deactivate the SwatBots." Sonic says, leaping out the window and running down the side of the building, taking off down the street towrads Knothole Village.  
He returns an hour or so later, with Rotor tagging along.  
"Where are we going, Naugus?" Snively asks.  
"I am returning to the Void. You can stay here and wait for some furred rabble-rousers to capture you." He says, impatient and highly annoyed of the little human's actions.  
"W-why? I held up my part of the bargain: capturing the Hedgehog." Snively says, somewhat angry.  
"Correction. *I* captured the hedgehog. You simply got greedy and screwed everything up." Ixis replies, summoning a portal to the Void.  
"I can still be of service. Perhaps it's better with you in the lead." Snively speaks.  
"Hmm. The human has a point... he could be a valuable asset regarding Robotropolis and the Freedom Fighters..." Ixis thinks to himself.  
"You think you can handle the hedgehog all by yourself, Naugus? He's the one ace card the Freedom Fighters have, and you know it." Snively speaks.  
"Go on..." Ixis replies.  
"With your wizardry and my technological intelligence... we could truly destroy everything on Mobius." He replies.  
"Sounds like a plan." Ixis replies, shaking hands with Snively.

The sounds of fingers on a keyboard are heard, echoing softly from the metallic walls up in the command center, perched high above the debris-strewn streets.  
"Sally, I think I've restored power to part of the city. It's only Downtown, and just the buildings within five blocks, though." Rotor says from behind his laptop, connected to the main computers in Robotnik's former command center.  
She looks out the window, watching the still, lifeless city, clothed in layers of pollution.  
"That's good news, Rotor. We're making progress at least." She replies, sounding a bit distracted, or depressed. Sonic senses something's up, so he approaches her, placing his hand on her arm softly.  
"Sal, what's eatin' ya? I thought you'd be glad as the sun is bright to see Robotnik dead and gone." He asks her.  
"I am, Sonic. It's just... all this. The city is ruined... it's not fit to live in. It was ours, and we fought so hard to get it back after it was stolen. We're going to have a hard time rebuilding peoples' lives now." She says softly, placing a hand on the cool glass of the window.  
"I know, Sally, but we made it. We defeated buttnik, and we're finally free." He says, with his hand on her arm still. She smiles a bit, but starts to frown, looking to her side.  
"It's also, my father. He's crystallizing in the Void for all we know. He could have died by now, Sonic. I've hardly known him since the war. We've been so far apart." She says, wiping a tear from her eye.  
"Sally, your father's proud of you. I know I am. You're the definition of fearless leader. You've kept us going all these years. I bet your father is in the Void, but he's safe and healthy." Sonic says, trying to cheer up his friend and motivate her.  
"Yeah, and we'll find a way to get him back, too, Princess." The walrus replies.  
Without warning, a camera detects two shadowy figures walking near the building. A large screen turns on and an alarm sounds, with the border of the video flashing yellow and red.  
"Hedgehog alert! Hedgehog alert! Priority one: Capture Hedgehog!" The alarms drone outside and inside the building, as the two figures run off in two separate directions.  
"What the--" Rotor asks to himself before pulling it up on his laptop.  
"What's going on, Rote?" Sonic asks his friend.  
"Tracing it, Sonic... aha! Right next to what's left of the Doomsday Machine." He says.  
"Juice and jam time!" Sonic says, taking off towards the door.  
"Sonic! It could be a trap!" Sally tells him. The hedgehog stops at the doors.  
"Sally, I'll be fine, and I'll return." He smiles to her, before taking off down the hall, going down the elevator.  
Along the rubble-filled streets, a floating camera spies on Antoine and the King. Antoine recognizes it.  
"Sire, hide! Ze swatbots are coming! It's Robotnik's camera!" Antoine says, as the King reluctantly runs into an alley, as Antoine distracts the camera, keeping it on him. Suddenly, a loud bang sound is heard, and the camera falls out of the sky, crashing into a few pieces on the street. He runs a bit down the street, scared out of his mind that he'll be captured.  
"Oh no no no no! Mon dieu! I will be captured! Roboticized!" He yelps to himself as he runs. He bumps into something and falls over.  
"Ahhh! Ze Swatbots!" He yelps, then jumps back up.  
"I will nevair surrendair!" He snarls, pulling out his sword.  
Sonic paces in the elevator as it descends the shaft towards the first floor. He counts the floors as they descend, from thirty-nine, downwards.  
"Come on.. come on! I could have run across all of Mobius by now!" He says impatiently. The numbers count down, before they turn to the letter "G", indicating "Ground Floor", and the doors open.  
"Well that was a waste of thirty seconds!" He says, running out of the elevator and out the door of the building. He rounds a corner and slams into something, seeing it unsheathe a sword.  
"That accent... I recognize that voice!" He thinks to himself.  
"Antoine!" Sonic says as he steps into the light again.  
"Ahhh! Sonic! Halp! Oh... there you are... heh heh." He rubs his collar nervously, blushing a bit from embarrassment.  
"What are you doing here, Ant? You normally guard Knothole." Sonic asks his friend, hands at his hips, tapping his foot.  
"What am I doing here? Hm... oh yes! Sonic, follow me." He says, grasping the blue hedgehog's hand, walking down the street quickly, back towards where he and the King parted ways.  
"What's goin' on?" He asks the coyote.  
"Sonic, I have someone very important to introduce to you." He says.  
"Oh yeah? Is it this piece of scrap metal?" Sonic asks sarcastically, pointing to the now-ruined hovercam that looks like it's been smashed to pieces.  
"Non, mon ami. It is King Acorn." He says.  
"No... it looks more like a broken hovercam to me, Ant." Sonic says.  
"Not ze camera, you feul, ze King. He is hiding in ze alley. I told him to get out of sight of ze camera." Antoine tells his friend.  
"Antoine, I think you've finally lost it." Sonic chuckles, still tapping his foot.  
"Mister D'Coolette is on the level, Sonic." King Max says, stepping back out of the alleyway, holding a makeshift slingshot in his experienced hands.  
"Sire! How'd you get out of the Void?" Sonic wonders, asking his sovereign.  
"I'll explain when I see Sally." He explains.  
"Sally's gonna love this, sire! She's in Robotnik's control room!" He says.  
"Sally, should I disable the 'Hedgehog Alert'?" Rotor asks.  
"I think that would be a good idea, Rotor. We won't need it anymore." Sally replies to her friend. Rotor types in a few commands, and disables the Hedgehog Alert System.  
"There. All swatbots that respond will go towards the docks and wait for further instructions." He says, flexing his fingers.  
"Rotor, you're a technological genius." Sally says to him, causing Rotor to blush.  
"You guys take the elevator. I'll get there in a flash!" Sonic tells Antoine and the King, heading off into the distance, before turning sharply, running up the side of the building. He sneaks into a ventilation duct and into the building. Antoine and King Max arrive on the floor housing the command center. They arrive in the command center and Antoine starts to shake.  
"Wai-wai-wait, sire! Doctair Robotnik is in there!" He yelps.  
"Antoine, if he were here, he would have captured you already." Sonic says from above them. He crawls out of the duct and opens the door to the command center.  
"Sally, I have someone who wants to see you." He opens the door, and the King steps through.  
"Dad?" She whispers, tries to keep herself together, before running towards him, hugging her father.  
"Dad? Is it really you? Is this a dream?" She asks him.  
"It's real, my dear. I've returned." Max says, hugging her.  
"I missed you. How'd you get out of the Void?" She asks the older squirrel.  
"There was a terrible explosion, and I was thrown right out of the Void. I landed in the Great Forest, near Knothole. Whatever caused that massive explosion in the Void must've freed us from its grip." The King replies.  
"The Power Stones!" Princess Sally and Sonic both exclaimed. King max grins and folds his arms.  
"Ah, so you did use them. Good job, Sally, Sonic." He shakes the hedgehog's hand.  
"Sire, please come back to Knothole Village. Everyone would love to see you again. We need you." Sonic says.  
"I intend to, Sonic. Now that I'm back, I won't leave my people to fend for themselves any longer." The King replies proudly. The four furs talk and get caught up as the minutes go by. King explains that the other people trapped in the Void were also freed.  
"I'm afraid that Ixis Nagus is also running around here on Mobius, once more. He is hell-bent on taking over the crown, Sonic. We have to be on our guard from his treacherous magic. He only sided with you to remove Robotnik from power." He tells his friends.  
Rotor is looking things up on the computers while Sonic and the King are talking. "Initiate environment scan for Mobotropolis." He instructs the computers. A few minutes later, he sees the results: massive amounts of toxins are in the air and soil, polluting the city. "Just great." He says to himself.  
Sonic walks up to the walrus.  
"What's wrong, Rote?" He asks.  
"It's all this pollution. We'll have to abandon the city until it dissolves. The city needs to heal itself. Just look at these results... benzene in the water, acetone deposits along the harbor." He says, handing Sonic the print-out.  
The hedgehog then shares it with the King and Princess Sally.  
"Rotor, it's alright. We'll rebuild, eventually." The King reminds him.  
"Are we in any danger of just recon missions or short visits?" Sally asks him.  
"No, but if this were a lifelong exposure, you'd become extremely ill or even die." Rotor replies.  
The King nods his head. "We'll relocate to the forest, for now." He says.  
"So, how long will we have to abandon the city?" Sonic asks.  
"Well, the outer parts could be re-inhabited right now, but the industrial areas and the rest of the city... around four to eight years in some places." He says.  
They all fall silent, from this sobering evidence.  
"Sire, we also have to head back, since it's going to be dark, soon. We may as well give you a proper welcome back in Knothole." Rotor says with a smirk, folding up his laptop, as the furs have completed all they could have, that day.  
"How will we get back to Knothole, Rote? I can run, but you guys have to walk..." Sonic says.  
Rotor smirks and walks over to a pile of rubble. He digs a few chunks of reinforced concrete off of what is buried underneath. It is a swatbot hovercraft!  
"I bet we could use this! It should make getting to and from Knothole much easier." He says, stepping inside and turning it on.  
"Alright! It wasn't that damaged, either! Everyone, hop in. The bus is leaving for Knothole!" He says as Sally, Sonic, Antoine, and The King walk into the craft.  
It takes off and flies across the desert, travelling at roughly one hundred and twenty kilometers per hour. Within a few minutes, the Forest is in sight. Rotor navigates going around the trees, slowing down to roughly seventy kilometers per hour.  
"Rotor, watch for zat tree! You're going to hit it!" Antoine panics, covering his eyes as the hovercraft flies through the air, missing the tree entirely. It nears the Great Oak Slide, and towards the deeper parts of the Forest, where Knothole Village is hidden. A bat remains standing guard, watching for anything out of the ordinary. He hears the roar of powerful engines and looks around, then sees it in the distance.  
"Robotnik!" He thinks to himself, before grabbing his CB radio.  
"Guys, we got company! Swatbot hovercraft heading dead straight for Knothole!" He says into it.  
Bunny is in the hut that is the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters. Suddenly, the CB goes off from the Bat stationed in the western part of the forest, close to Knothole. She hears him warning her and the furries there.  
"Bunny to Batty. I'm on mah way, sugah!" She says, running off towards his outpost.  
The hovercraft piloted by Rotor flies overhead of the bat very quickly, and is within sight of Bunny in only seconds. She steps aside as it stops moving and lands softly on the ground.  
"Robuttnik, yer in for one hip-hop of a thumpin' if that's you!" She says as the door opens. Rotor steps out, followed by the King, Antoine, Sonic and Princess Sally.  
"Oh, mah stars! Ah am so sorry! I thought you guys were Robotnik." She apologizes.  
"No need for apologies, Bunny." Sonic smirks. They walk back into Knothole.  
"It's alright, y'all! It's just Sal-Gal, Sonic, and the gang... and they brought King Max back with them!" She says as the furs come out of their huts and start to applaud the Return of the King.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly return to Knothole, to guide you back to prosperity. I will put all the resources I can into rebuilding your shattered lives, broken dreams, and your ruined cities. Though Mobotropolis is heavily polluted, we will rebuild it, and our proud nation will rise, once more!" He says to his enthusiastic crowd.  
Back in Knothole.  
"My plans are to assemble a small team to go with me to Robotropolis to reclaim our city, and to truly know if Robotnik is dead or alive. If he is dead, we'll celebrate the end of his tyranny. If he's alive, we'll capture him, and he will be placed on trial for high treason. Sally, Sonic, Bunnie, and Rotor have already demonstrated, last night, that the city is indeed safe for repopulation." The King continues his speech into the crowd.  
Sally and Sonic are talking at the sidelines. "Do you think Robotnik's really dead and gone?" Sonic asks. "I don't know... I still can't believe using the Deep Power Stones actually worked in stopping Doomsday." She replies. "I hear ya. That ruled!" The hedgehog says with a nod.  
"My furs, before we go to sleep tonight, I want you to think about the glorious future ahead of us. Dream of the wonderful reality that has come forth: we can rebuild our cities and our lives!" King Acorn finishes his speech, to much fanfare and cheering.  
"Just think, Bunny... Robotnik is gone! Now we can finally start our lives." Antoine says to Bunny, holding her hands in his own as he looks into her eyes.  
"Ah'm so glad, sugah-twan..." She replies, kissing his nose as she walks back towards their shared hut.  
Day breaks over the western part of the continent, over the still smoking ruins of Robotropolis and the Great Forest. Ixis inspects the ruined power plant with Snively.  
"It's time that we return to the Void, Snively. The Freedom Fighters have brought part of the city back online, and it's only a matter of time before they begin to repopulate it." He says calmly.  
"Why, Ixis? Wouldn't you rather try to assist me in taking over Mobius?" He questions the old wizard.  
"The quickster and his friends cannot attack us in my domain. We'll get stronger, and then attack from a safe distance." Ixis explains to his shorter cohort.  
"Very well. I want to see those miserable furballs suffer." Snively mutters as he walks towards the portal conjured up by Ixis Naugus.  
The portal closes up without a trace as the freedom fighters return with a lot of furs, inspecting their reclaimed city and its damage.  
"This is going to be a LOT of work." Rotor says, surveying the city with his zoom-goggles.  
"Yeah, but we can finally live in peace again." Sally replies.

While removing debris from the downtown core, Sonic, Tails, Sally and Rotor discover a perfectly preserved biplane.  
"What is it, Rote?" Sonic asks, touching one of the rotors of the propeller on the nose of the plane.  
"I think it's a sort of flying machine. I remember reading about it in my history books." He replies, rubbing his right hand along its wing.  
"Nicole, can you explain what this is?" Sally asks her handheld computer.  
"Analyzing, Sally..." The faithful computer responds. A few seconds later, a holographic image is displayed in front of them, as Nicole dictates to them.  
"This object is a 'biplane', a type of flying machine. It uses liquid hydrocarbons for fuel, and has a top speed of two hundred and fifty-five kilometers per hour. This model was first built by the Ancient Race of Mobius, far before the Days of Fury, making it several hundred, if not several thousand, years old. It is unknown how it survived, how it got here, or if it still works." She recites from her data files on ancient technology.  
"Well, I don't know what we can do with it. We'd have to get it to work with Power Rings. I say we just scrap it." Sonic says, holding his hands at his sides.  
"No way, Sonic! I like this plane. I'll fix it up and we could even use it to go scouting and spying." Tails explains, hopping in the seat, touching the steering mechanisms.  
"Tails, even if it could work, where would we store it?" Sally asks.  
"I'll build a hut for it or hide it underground. I know Rotor would love to help me fix this thing up." Tails says, turning the keys, only hearing the motor stall.  
Rotor rubs the back of his neck softly with his left arm.  
"I would, yeah.. let's just see if it's worth working on, though." He says, inspecting the motor. He finds it's bone-dry for fuel, but surprised that it can take a Power Ring with just a few minor adjustments.  
"I think it's possible to shove a Power Ring in there. Just gotta replace one part with another." He says.  
"Already there." Sonic replies, tossing the walrus the power ring. Rotor makes the necessary modifications for Tails.  
"Tails, give it another try!" Rotor yells as he slams the biplane's motor cage shut. Tails starts the engine, excited and cheering as he hears the engine roar to life. The freedom fighters stand back as tails pilots the plane out of the abandoned garage, and into the street. Sally looks at her handheld computer.  
"Nicole, can you communicate with that plane's radio?" She asks.  
"Yes, I can, Sally." She replies, with good news to Sally.  
"Tails, be careful!" Sally shouts to him.  
"Don't worry, Aunt Sally. I'll be fine. If I start to crash, I can bail and fly out." He says, suddenly flooring his foot on the gas. The old biplane races down the tower-lined street, before taking off into the hazy blue sky above the city and its bay.  
"Son of a gun... you two did it!" Sonic says to Rotor.  
Alright, Tails! You're doing great!" Sally says into Nicole, being heard over the plane's CB radio.  
"Sally, you have to see the view from up here! It's breathtaking!" Tails says, absolutely thrilled as he flies the plane. He starts to do a barrel-roll.  
"Oh my god. He's in trouble!" Sally gasps.  
"Nah, Sally, I'm fine! Just seeing what this thing can do!" Tails replies as he goes through a loop.  
"Tails, you're scaring me! Please come back down." Sally says into Nicole. Tails sighs.  
"Alright, Aunt Sally. Coming in nice and slow." Tails replies as he lands back on the same street.  
"Tails, you RULE on that thing!" Sonic says as he ruffles his little "brother's" hair. Tails blushes and hides behind his bushy tails.  
"Awww... thanks, Sonic." He says.  
Deep within the Void, Ixis and Snively come across Doctor Robotnik. The fat tyrant is looking around, dazed and confused.  
"What is this place? Where AM I?" He asks.  
"You're in my playground, Doctor." Ixis grins.  
Robotnik's face shows a unique expression for the first time. It shows fear.  
"Doctor, you are going to pay for casting me here all those years ago." Ixis speaks to him.  
"What are you going to do to me?" Robotnik asks.  
"Anything I see fit." Ixis replies, snapping his fingers.  
Robotnik's head turns into that of a beetle.  
"Ahh, this is going to be fun." Ixis grins, snapping his fingers repeatedly, changing Robotnik's appearance accordingly.  
Snively starts laughing from the Doctor's misfortune, watching Ixis torture him.  
"Doctor, you should never have betrayed me." Ixis tells the doctor. "I said you'd be sorry if you did, and now look at you."  
"I'd say he looks better, Ixis." Snively says as he laughs.  
"Indeed. Doctor, are are at my mercy, and I am running low on that. Welcome to your nightmares." Ixis tells him.  
Doctor Robotnik simply shudders and closes his eyes, not knowing what this wizard could possibly be cooking up for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: April 19-May 11, 3241 - Tails' Adventure  
- - - - - -

Chapter 2 - The of Calm Before The Storm Part I: True Calling

Six years have passed since Robotnik's "disappearance". The furs and humans have since come to believe he, Ixis, and Snively have perished in the destruction of the Doomsday Machine in 3235. It is now 3241, but most furs are still in hiding in the Great Forest, leaving Mobotropolis completely abandoned, due to the extreme pollution rendering the city uninhabitable, as decreed by the King. The furs have remained in the Great Forest, sticking together in little tribes that are relatively close together, until their home is safe to return to.  
Sonic is relaxing in his hammock in his room, taking an afternoon nap. His door creeps open and he bats an eye open, shrugging it off and going back to sleep. He hears footsteps creeking across the wooden floor.  
"Alright, who is it?" He asks, slightly annoyed.  
"A swatbot." The young voice answers with a chuckle.  
"Oh yeah?" Sonic asks, sitting up on his hammock.  
"Yeah." Tails says, stepping into the light from the shadows, fuzzling his ears playfully.  
"How're ya, True Blue?" He laughs. Sonic yawns.  
"Yeah, just having a nap. Been up late in Mobo, acting as security for the king." He replies.  
"I know." Tails nods his head.  
"Sonic, you know how I'm turning 17 tomorrow, right?" Tails asks, swishing his tails.  
"Yeah..." Sonic wonders where this conversation is leading.  
"Well, I was thinking on heading out of Knothole. I want to explore the world. Meet other furs and freedom fighters. I want to go Downunda." the fox says.  
"What? why?" Sonic asks.  
"I've grown a bit bored with the quiet life here in Knothole. I love you guys and all, but I just wanna have some thrills again, like old times!" Sonic stands up with Tails.  
"We'll support you on whatever you want to do, Tails. Just remember that we love ya." Sonic says, hugging him tightly.  
"I know, Sonic. I was planning on telling everyone after my birthday party, tomorrow night." Tails smirks.  
"Heh. A surprise for everyone, eh?" Sonic chuckles as he walks out with Tails.  
"Somethin' like that." The twin-tailed fox replies.  
Later that night, the Freedom Fighters are sitting at the table in the Conference Hall within Freedom Headquarters, deep in the valley forest that contains the secret hideout known as Knothole Village.  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to congratulate our freedom fighter, Tails, for his bravery and loyalty to our group. I'm glad to wish him a very happy 16th birthday, and may he have many years of health and happiness to come." Antoine says as the freedom fighters start to applaud tails, who is blushing a bit in his seat.  
"Tails, stand up. Be proud of what you've done!" Antoine smirks. The vulpine stands slowly, a bit shy, despite being in the company of his lifelong friends, practically his family.  
"Guys, I really do appreciate this. I love you all like family, and I always will. But I've also been thinking and I've made my mind up..." Tails starts to explain.  
"I'm going off to travel the world. I want to visit Downunda." He says.  
"Tails, you're only 16..." Bunnie starts off.  
"I know, Bunnie, but it's something I have to do on my own." He explains.  
"Hey, he wants it to be like old times... globetrotting, going on adventures..." Sonic says.  
"Sonic, I mean by myself. I'm sorry. I feel it's like a rite of passage for me, and I don't know why." He sits back down, blushing.  
"You guys aren't offended or shocked, are ya?" Tails asks. The furs are silent for a minute.  
"No, but we're just concerned you could end up hurt, or worse. Especially on your own like this..." Sally says.  
"Yeah, but if it's something you like, then we're with ya in it, and we support ya, tails." Bunnie says, smiling at him.  
"Awww... thanks, you guys!" Tails says.  
The furs begin to eat their feast with Tails.  
"So...when is this 'rite of passage' going to happen?" Antoine inquires.  
"I was thinking on taking the plane with me and leaving tomorrow." He replies, surprising the furs.  
"I wanted it to be a surprise." He blushes.  
"Well, dat's quite de surprise, Tails." Antoine says with a smile.  
"Don't worry, guys. I'll be back someday." Tails says to his friends.  
"We'll miss ya, though, little guy." Sonic says.  
"Aww...i'll miss you, too!" Tails replies to his friends.  
"Well, if this is our last night with Tails for a while, why not celebrate and send him off on a great note?" Rotor says at the door, wearing his winter pilot's coat and baseball cap, holding a portable stereo in his paw.  
"I couldn't have thought of anything better, Rotor." Tails smirks at him as the music is turned on for Tails' farewell party.

Part II: Destiny Awaits

"Journal Log, day 22 on my quest. I've kept myself alive by fishing, eating edible fruits and digging for well-water. I hope I find my calling soon enough." Tails writes into his journal.  
"I've lost my spare wood in a storm near Boulder Bay on the first day, and I'm starting to regret not tying them down tighter on the wings. The nights are getting longer, and it's getting very cold, for being in the tropics. I suppose it's the high altitude." He continues, in the captain's seat of the "Winged Victory" before going to sleep for the night, cuddled into his winter jacket, hat, gloves, and blanket.  
In his dream, he finds himself standing on a cliff high above the continent of Downunda, 12,000 years before his time (roughly 9000 BC). He can see for miles and miles in any direction. The young fox male spots a few ancient temples and pyramids sticking up out of the forests. A kitsune male places his paw on Tails' shoulder.  
"This is the past of Mobius, Tails. Fourteen Thousand Years ago..." He says.  
"Wha? what am I doing in the distant past?" Tails asks. "This is your destiny, Tails. You need to find this temple." The kitsune replies. Tails turns around, seeing the kitsune, old and wise, and yet, young as he in appearence.  
"It's on the continent known as Downunda." He says, before disappearing with the wind, fading from view. Tails slides down the embankment of the cliff, towards the overgrown temples. The fox approaches the temples, seeing an entrance into the largest of the pyramids. Tails grabs a nearby lit torch and walks into it.  
"Wow... what is this place?" he asks himself, looking around.  
Tails then wakes up from the dream, before he can explore it further. The fox starts up the plane, taking off from the clearing in the forest. The morning blends into that day's afternoon, and after a few hours of flying, he sees the western shore of the continent of Downunda. The lush jungle rapidly approaches as he flies, the sparkling blue ocean meeting the topaz sands, before melting into the lush green forests. Tails rubs his eyes as he sees the very tip of what looks like an ancient pyramid in the jungle.  
"I have to investigate that. It might be connected to that weird dream I had last night..." He says to himself as he finds a clearing to land his plane in.  
Once the fox lands the biplane, he undresses from wearing his thick winter jacket, noticing how much warmer the jungle is than being a kilometer or so in the air. He pauses, the temples and pyramids are exactly the same as in his dream, right down to the smallest details.  
"It's a premonition... or a message of some sort." He whispers to himself as he grabs the very same torch from his dream, entering the long, dim hallway. He suddenly drops down, sliding down a long ramp, before landing in a large hall, on a soft bed of silk pillows. Tails stands up, as the kitsune walks out in front of him from a dark door.  
"I'm glad you decided to come after all. Follow me." The kitsune says, starting to walk back towards the door.  
"Wait! Who are you? Why am I here?" He asks. The kitsune turns around with a smirk.  
"My name, young kitsune, is Genra. I'm here to show you your destiny... your future." He says.  
"I don't understand at all..." the young twin-tailed fox replies.  
"You'll know soon enough." The fox says.  
They enter another, far larger hall, with all sorts of mosaics and paintings on the walls. A few depict Sonic fighting Robotnik, but one in particular shows a twin-tailed fox battling a robot of immense power.  
"Tails, you will become the greatest saviour in your time. Mobius will be saved by you in its darkest hours." Genra explains.  
Tails remains speachless of all this.  
"It's been prophecized thousands of years before now. Before civilzation even started... There would be a 'Chosen One' that rises to the challenge of defending Mobius from absolute destruction in the hands of evil." The kitsune explains.  
"You said I was a kitsune earlier... I thought I was just a twin-tailed fox..." Tails says, scratching his own ears softly with one arm.  
"Oh, you are more than just a fox, young Miles Prower... you are a kitsune, born with a second tail. This is the first time in over five thousand years that this has happened. Kitsunes tend to gain their tails as they grow stronger in life. You've been born already extremely powerful and skilled." Genra approaches the amazed fox.  
"I still don't see how I can be a 'Chosen One'. How am I a powerful fox? I'm only 16." The fox replies.  
"The fate of all your friends and the world you've grown to know relies upon you." Genra tells Tails as they walk into another hall in the ancient Temple.  
"Tails, you must face your worst fears, and conquer them. Only then can you protect and defend your loved ones from the terrible fate they will face." Tails listens as he walks, seeing another fox, one that looks very similar to him.  
"Tails, this apparition is your worst fears, manifested into our physical world." Genra explains, bringing Tails closer to the other fox, his evil counterpart.  
Anti-Tails' head is half-robotic, from the top of his head, past his muzzle, and down to his throat. His paws are robotic. Tails shivers and starts to step back.  
"No...wait, Genra..." Tails stammers, frightened of himself being transformed into an evil cyborg to kill his own family and friends.  
"I won't kill my family!" He yells out.  
"Tails, you must fight your fears. You are still yourself. This is what your fears are. No one is in harm's way at this time." Tails closes his eyes as he hears this, feeling his fur starting to stand on end, even glow a bit. Anti-Tails approaches him, unsheathing his razor-sharp claws, growling.  
"I will kill you, tails. I will destroy Knothole myself." He says.  
"NO! NO YOU WON'T!" Tails yells, kicking the cyborg fox hard, causing him to lose balance and step back.  
Tails goes into a protective stance. The cyborg raises its arm, aiming its wrist at tails. He shoots his claws at the fox, but misses as Tails ducks and rolls out of the way. He jumps and pounces his evil counterpart. Anti-Tails tosses tails off of him easily, growling at him.  
"You'll pay for that, little pup!" Tails pants as he gets back up. Genra speaks into his ear from behind him.  
"You must believe in yourself child, you can never give up this fight... strive for what you believe is right and follow it with all of your heart." Tails grins and nods, concentrating for a second.  
"I'm not afraid of you, anymore! You can't hurt me, or my friends! YOU'RE NOT REAL!" He yells, holding his paws out instinctively, feeling a surge of energy flow through him.  
His fur starts to glow a brilliant silver and gold, like it was light from a reflecting pool. Suddenly, a huge beam of light and energy is released from his paws, directed right at Anti-Tails. The cyborg fox disappears back to where he came from, which nothing. Within a second, all is over. Tails pants softly, opening his eyes. He feels Genra's paw on his shoulder.  
"Wh..what happened?" Tails asks softly.  
"You conquered your fears. Anti-Tails was nothing more than a figment of your imagination, personified. He is now back in your imagination, but can never harm you or others, Tails. You've proven yourself to be the Chosen One that will save Mobius. Now, your world needs you, Young Prower. Go." He says with a grin.  
"Wait! I need your guidance! How can I save the world when I don't even know how?" He asks.  
"We'll meet again, Tails. I'll show you and guide you." he says. With a flash, tails is back at his plane, at almost sunset.  
"Well... that was quite weird..." Tails says to himself. He hops over to his plane and starts it up.  
"I need to find a place to sleep. It's not safe in the Deep within the Void, Ixis Naugus is still tormenting Doctor Robotnik, in revenge for stranding him in this place many years ago.  
"Ixis! Please! Have mercy, I BEG of you!" Robotnik whimpers, clutching his head as Ixis holds his hands out, causing Robotnik to have waking nightmares, manifesting themselves in his imagination.  
"Why should I?" Ixis asks.  
"B-because I can serve you more efficiently if I'm not suffering like this." Robotnik says, clutching his head.  
Ixis stops, and ponders this.  
"Hmm. Very well, Doctor. You will be free to do as you wish." Ixis says.  
"OH, THANK YOU, IXIS!" Robotnik replies as he stands up, shaking Ixis' hand.  
"There are a few catches, Doctor..." Ixis grins, putting Robotnik under a trance-like state, where he becomes highly suggestable to new ideas.  
"You are going to be teleported to your orbiting Space Station. You are going to unleash your biological weapons upon Mobius for me. You will destroy it for me, do you understand?" Ixis speaks.  
"Yes, Master Ixis." Doctor Robotnik replies.  
"Oooh, and how respectful, Doctor." Ixis snickers, clapping his hands together, transporting him to his orbiting space station.  
Snively looks around. "W-what happened to the doctor?"  
"He's fine, Snively. We must prepare, however. Our time for conquest is near." Ixis replies. jungle alone." He thinks to himself as he starts the plane and takes off.  
The brilliant golden-orange sun sets below the Mobian horizon, giving way to the cool crisp air of the black night. Tails starts to nod off slowly, but he keeps shaking his head to wake up.  
"Yawwwwwwwn... I really need to sleep... I sure have a great view, though." He smiles, looking at all the stars.  
He notices and remembers all of the constellations Rotor taught him, the Milky Way, and even the two Magellanic Clouds, high above him. He sees a bay to his left, about 20 kilometers away.  
"I think I can pull in there for some rest." He thinks, bringing the plane in for a landing along the shore.  
The red wallaby is resting in his hammock when the soft droning of an airplane engine brings him out of his sleep.  
"Who on earth could be flyin' a plane out here at this Deep within the Void, Ixis Naugus is still tormenting Doctor Robotnik, in revenge for stranding him in this place many years ago.  
"Ixis! Please! Have mercy, I BEG of you!" Robotnik whimpers, clutching his head as Ixis holds his hands out, causing Robotnik to have waking nightmares, manifesting themselves in his imagination.  
"Why should I?" Ixis asks.  
"B-because I can serve you more efficiently if I'm not suffering like this." Robotnik says, clutching his head.  
Ixis stops, and ponders this.  
"Hmm. Very well, Doctor. You will be free to do as you wish." Ixis says.  
"OH, THANK YOU, IXIS!" Robotnik replies as he stands up, shaking Ixis' hand.  
"There are a few catches, Doctor..." Ixis grins, putting Robotnik under a trance-like state, where he becomes highly suggestable to new ideas.  
"You are going to be teleported to your orbiting Space Station. You are going to unleash your biological weapons upon Mobius for me. You will destroy it for me, do you understand?" Ixis speaks.  
"Yes, Master Ixis." Doctor Robotnik replies.  
"Oooh, and how respectful, Doctor." Ixis snickers, clapping his hands together, transporting him to his orbiting space station.  
Snively looks around. "W-what happened to the doctor?"  
"He's fine, Snively. We must prepare, however. Our time for conquest is near." Ixis of night?" He thinks to himself, still very groggy.  
He looks at his clock on the floor, reading "1:44 AM". He sits up and nudges his koala friend.  
"Barby...wake up. Someone's comin'." He whispers. The female koala yawns and opens her eyes.  
"Who's comin', Walt?" She asks.  
"I hear an airplane. I think it's robotnik... or one of his machines..." The wallaby replies.  
"Impossible, walt... Sonic and Sally killed him years ago." She says, leaning back into her pillow to catch up on her sleep that she's missing.  
"Well, I'm gonna check it out. Ya can come if ya want." He says, stepping out the door of the hut.  
Barby listens intently for a few seconds, noticing that she too hears the airplane engine. She gets up out of bed and starts to follow Walt.  
"Walt, you'll need back-up. I'm coming." she says softly, catching up to him.  
"Alright. Let's just see if this guy lands or not." Walt says, crouching low behind some bushes.  
They watch as the Winged Victory pulls in for a landing on the beach, coming to a complete stop in a matter of seconds. Barby is about to get up, when walt holds his arm out, lightly grasping her arm. He keeps his friend from standing up and running off.  
"No. Don't get up yet. Wait and see if whoever it is has weapons." He says, peering from behind the fern leaves.  
The vulpine pilot removes his goggles and helmet, putting them behind his seat. He steps out of the plane after grabbing his sleeping bag.  
"Walt, he looks harmless. He looks so young, too." Barby says, observing the young fox rolling out his sleeping bag.  
"Looks can be deciving, Barby. We'd better be careful if we approach him." Walt says.  
They observe Tails as he falls asleep, curled up in his sleeping bag on the beach, next to his plane.  
"Should we wake him?" Walt asks. "No, let him rest. He looked exhausted." Barby says.  
"Alright, but I'll keep watch overnight to make sure he doesn't try any tricks." The unconvinced wallaby replies as Barby walks back towards their hut.  
Walt himself falls asleep next to a tree as he watches Tails, succumbing to his own slumber.  
Dawn comes soon enough, as the first traces of sunlight streak past the nearby hills, bathing Botany Bay with warmth and light. Walt yawns and wakes up, still seeing Tails curled up in his sleeping bag, having not moved ever since he fell asleep. Barby looks to Walt, then at the dozing fox.  
"I'll see if he's awake." she says to her still-sleeping boyfriend.

Deep within the Void, Ixis Naugus is still tormenting Doctor Robotnik, in revenge for stranding him in this place many years ago.  
"Ixis! Please! Have mercy, I BEG of you!" Robotnik whimpers, clutching his head as Ixis holds his hands out, causing Robotnik to have waking nightmares, manifesting themselves in his imagination.  
"Why should I?" Ixis asks.  
"B-because I can serve you more efficiently if I'm not suffering like this." Robotnik says, clutching his head.  
Ixis stops, and ponders this.  
"Hmm. Very well, Doctor. You will be free to do as you wish." Ixis says.  
"OH, THANK YOU, IXIS!" Robotnik replies as he stands up, shaking Ixis' hand.  
"There are a few catches, Doctor..." Ixis grins, putting Robotnik under a trance-like state, where he becomes highly suggestable to new ideas.  
"You are going to be teleported to your orbiting Space Station. You are going to unleash your biological weapons upon Mobius for me. You will destroy it for me, do you understand?" Ixis speaks.  
"Yes, Master Ixis." Doctor Robotnik replies.  
"Oooh, and how respectful, Doctor." Ixis snickers, clapping his hands together, transporting him to his orbiting space station.  
Snively looks around. "W-what happened to the doctor?"  
"He's fine, Snively. We must prepare, however. Our time for conquest is near." Ixis replies.


	4. Chapter 4

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 12, 3241 - Tails' Adventure  
- - - - - -

Chapter 3 - Trouble Downunda

The young fox wakes up. He rubs his eyes and yawns, seeing Barby and Walt lean over him.  
"Ahh! who are you guys?" Tails asks, crawling back a bit.  
"Aww... isn't he cute?" Barby giggles, slightly annoying Walt.  
"I guess so." he says, not too thrilled.  
"I'm Barby Koala, and this is my boyfriend, Walt Wallaby." She says, introducing herself and her friend.  
"What's your name?" Walt asks. "I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails." The twin-tailed fox replies.  
"Where am I?" He asks, standing up and looking around at the trees and bay.  
"You're in Botany Bay, mate. This is the continent of Downunda." Walt explains.  
"It's nice... but it looks like there's been a war down here..." Tails says, noticing a few of the bombed-out buildings.  
"Yeah... about that... We've been trying to deal with one of Doctor Robotnik's latest creations, Crocbot." Walt replies to Tails.  
"What's he?" The twin-tailed fox inquires.  
"He's a vile, sinister robotic reptile. Crocbot was made by Doctor Robotnik to enslave our proud nation, much like how he's done to the rest of the planet. We are the last standing group of resistance." Barby says.  
"I have some good news, guys. You're not alone. The Kingdom of Acorn survived, and there are pockets of resistance elsewhere on Mobius." Tails says.  
"That's good news! We're not alone in our fight, but we still need help to get rid of Crocbot and restore our country." Barby sighs.  
"Don't worry. I'll help you get rid of Crocbot." he says.

Under the murky waters of Botany Bay, a long, metallic tail cuts through the water quite easily. He watches as he swims through the water, careful not to make a splash, or hit a rock.  
"Crocbot to Robotnik. I've started to destroy the village of Botany Bay. The Freedom Fighters there are putting up a very futile fight. They should be taken out by tonight." The robotic reptile says via comlink to his creator.  
"Excellent, Crocbot! Keep this up, and I might let you rule Downunda as your own province. Robotnik out." he replies, closing the link.

The robotic crocodile swims, chuckling to himself. He approches shore, seeing three mammals. A grin spreads across his metallic muzzle.  
"This should be perfect." He says, crouching low under the very shallow water.  
He watches as Barby and Tails joke around, with Walt somewhat skeptical, his arms folded and tail staying still. He waits for her to take another step or two closer to the water, and then he snarls, jumping up with a loud splash and grabbing Barby with both arms. She screams and squirms, trying to get free.  
"BARBY!" Tails and Walt both scream. The vulpine snarls and grabs his arms, trying to get Barby free as Walt curls his tail around Crocbot's left leg, pulling away to trip him, causing Crocbot to lose grip on Barby as he falls back into the shallow water.

Barby performs a backflip, landing back onto her feet with a brief moment of grace onto the dry land. Tails and Walt look to her.  
"Are you alright?" They ask.  
Barby nods hesistantly.  
"I'm okay. Other than nearly drownin'..." She replies before Walt turns and calls out to the robot, angered by the sudden attack on his friend.  
"You rust bucket, get out here and fight!" Walt clenches his fists as Tails looks out over the water in dismay.  
A moment of silence passes before Crocbot sudden launches 20 feet into the air with a sonic leap, landing several feet from the three with a heavy, dirt-cracking thud.  
"What luck, three furs ripe for the picking right in front of the bay." He says with his back turned to the others.  
Walt doesn't hesistate at the opportunity, pulling a boom-erang out of his pouch and throwing it toward the Croc.  
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He shouts as the weapon hurdles toward the robot.  
Crocbot grins and turns around to face the Freedom Fighters just in time for the boom-erang to contact him with a loud explosion.

"That'll teach him!" Walt cheers. Barby smiles, hugging him.  
"Way to go Walt, he never even saw that one coming." She says to her cheering boyfriend.  
"Yeah, that's what happens when you turn your back on me." The wallaby says triumphantly.  
Tails, however isn't sharing the glory of the moment, as he is looking onward to the cloud of smoke surrounding where Crocbot stood with with straight and concerned face as he patiently swishes his twin tails. He waits for the dust to settle.  
"That weird..." He mumbles aloud. Walt and Barby turn to him, somewhat confused.  
"What's the problem, mate?" Walt asks.  
Tails just shakes his head. "Heh, nothing I guess... just find it strange that he didn't even bother to dodge it."  
Just as Walt's about to speak a robotic laughter echos from the smoke cloud, just in time for the form of Crocbot to appear amoungst the thinning shroud.

"Fools, did you think it would be THAT easy?" The three now facing Crocbot, a clear feeling of frustation coming over them as they all notice that there isn't a single scratch on the robot's armor.  
"I have to admit... before that would have been a problem, but my new upgrades made that feel like little more than the tickle of a feather." Crocbot grins with a robotic growl.  
"What!?" Walt gasps, growling in his own tone.  
"I can't believe it, your boom-erang hit him dead on!" Barby adds, mouth wide open.  
Tails scowls, remaining quiet as he takes in the gravity of the situation.

"Don't look so suprised... I managed to stay around this long, what makes you think that it'd be over just like that. You're pathetic!" Crocbot laughs out, the seams of his armor beginning to glow a bright green.  
Walt snarls and runs up to Crocbot, thrusting at the robot with a fierce leaping kick. Contact is made with loud clank of metal but to little avail. The bot once again does nothing to defend himself and not without justification as the kick does little more than scoot him back slightly, while the wallaby is tossed to the ground by the robotic reptile.  
"Idiot... little do you know that you are now completely incapable of defeating me. You should have beaten me while you had the chance." A splatter of blood comes from Walt's muzzle as the robot throws an incredibly fast punch to the wallaby's face, effectively pushing him a couple steps back and falling to the ground.  
"Aaaaggghhh!" Walt crys out.  
Barby quickly runs over to him.  
"Walt!" she crys out, kneeling beside him.  
Tails stands in amazement, growling softly.  
"Something's not right here... this isn't like Robotnik's robots at all. I feel something... strange coming from him."

Crocbot begins making slow strides toward the downed wallaby and koala.  
"When I'm through with you both, there won't be anything left of you. It's time for payback for all the times you've gotten in my way." He spits out in his mechanical tone.  
Tails darts forward with incredible speed, coming to a halt right in front of the two, forming a barrier between the robotic machine and his organic prey.  
"No you don't!" Tails calls to the robot.  
Walt looks up, clenching a bloody muzzle in his palm. He winces slightly from the pain.  
"Kid, get out of the way! ...you're only gonna get hurt..." The wallaby calls out to the kitsune.  
Tails glances back with a stern look. "If he wants you guys he's gotta go through me first."  
Crocbot continues closing in as they argue.  
"We can handle this Tails." Walt says with a look of concern.  
"We beat him before and we can do it again, upgrades or not." Barby growls, and in a fit of anger pushes Tails aside, making a charge at Crocbot.  
"Hahaha, that's right, come to me... you're making this all so easy!" The robot taunts the charging Koala.  
Barby jumps up and lashes at the robot. The end result... claws completely broken off of the glove. Barby lands, eyes wide in fear and amazement as her glove claws are snapped off effortlessly.  
"No way!" She yelps.  
Her words are soon followed by a scream of pain as she feels the sharp sensation of a metallic appendage forced against the flesh near one of her kidneys. She falls to her knees, cradling the spot on her back with a paw.

Walt jumps back to his feet.  
"Monster... keep your metal mits off of'fa her!" He yells, chargint at Crocbot.  
The robot holds his sinister grin before brandishing a heavy metal paw against the koala's temples, rendering her unconsious to the ground with a small trickle of blood from the afflicted area. Tails stands, very tense, teeth clenched as he watches things unfold.  
"I've gotta do something..." He says, tensing his body completely, beginning to feel the warmth of the power building within him just like he did before during the practice encounter at the temple.  
"Barby!!! No!" Walt cries out as he watches his girlfriend's unconscious body fall limp to the ground, making another dash at the robot.  
A slap from the back of the croc's metal paw being all it took to rip Walt off of his feet, just to land face flat into the dirt. He's so pent up with rage from the robot that he feels very little of the numbing pain from his muzzle's injuries, broken in two different places now.

"You... you couldn't be one of Robotnik's robots, He could never make something as fierce and evil as you." Tails tells him.  
Crocbot gives another robotic laugh at Tails' comment. "Little do you know, fox..."  
Tails' fur beginning to glow a yellowish color as the anger and kitsune energy begin to swell within him. "I don't care what you are... you're not going to hurt them any more!"  
Crocbot's sensors now beginning to pick up the mystic energy that now flows through the kitsune's body.  
"What... what is this?" The croc mumbles to himself.  
Tails thrusts forward a paw, a yellow ball of destructive energy soon forming in his palm. "Let's see if Robotnik knows anything about this!"  
The yellow manifestation of energy is sent shooting forth. Crocbot looks onward, confused at this light trick. He fails to avoid the blast, this time out of pure confusion rather than confidence. The energy shoots straight through the armor, leaving a gaping hole in the croc.  
"What the hell!" The robot yells out, immediately noting the extensive damage to his systems. "This is impossible... nothing can penetrate my armor!"  
Tails lowers his paw, fur still glimmering with energy.

"This is not over, you haven't seen the last of me!" The croc roars out before engaging a still in-tact propulsion system on his back, taking to flight and shooting off with great speed into the horizon.  
Tails sighs and lets the aura of energy fade from him.  
"Whew... that worked better than I hoped." He says to himself before turning and running over to the downed freedom fighters.

The sensations of pain course through Barby's furred body as she lays on the bed in the First Aid Station of Botany Bay. She feels a cool damp cloth wiping away the blood from her injuries, bandages all around her waist from the injury she recieved to her back, with an IV-drip of protein and medicine to fight off an infection. She hears muffled, echoing voices in the small building. Barby tries to figure out what happened, where she is, and she slowly starts to open her eyes, seeing Tails and walt standing at her side, protecting her.  
"W-what happened?" The injured koala asks, trying to sit up.  
Her head hurts greatly, throbbing and pounding from the concussion she recieved from Crocbot.  
"Ooooh, my head..." She groans.  
"Barby, you just lay there. You're injured." Walt says, not too concerned of his own injuries.  
Tails turns and walks to a windows staring out with a dazed look in his eyes. "This can only mean one thing..." He mumbles to himself before adding. "Robotnik's back, and by the looks of it... madder than hell."  
Walt perks his ears and looks over to him. "Yeah... I hate to admit it but I think you're right, kid."  
A doctor comes through the door and requests them to leave for a moment while he checks on Barby, the two nod and hesistantly exit the room.  
Walt glances over to Tails as they walk through the hall. "It's a good thing you came along, Tails... I hate to say it, but it seems we'd have been in a lot of trouble back there without you."  
Tails shakes his head. "I'd had this strange feeling recently, that this is where I needed to be. It's obvious now why."  
The vulpine stops suddenly as he recalls. "...and then, there was the dream. It was a vision of some kind."  
Walt stops a well and looks to him with a confused look. "What? A vision?"  
Tails shrugs and sigh softly before replying simply."It's a long story."  
Walt turns and begins to walk out of the door. "I'd love to here it, mate... but I need to go check the area and see what other damage croc did before he zoomed off."  
The wallaby turns back and requests. "As soon as their done in there, let Barby know where i've gone... and make sure she relaxes." Adding before bolting out of the door.  
Tails gives a slow nod before turning and walking back to the room where Barby is being treated.

High above the Planet Mobius, the International Space Station orbits silently and calmly. A much smaller, green, reptilian robot is seen approaching it from the ground below. It positions itself near an entry hatch, walking in when the hatch opens.  
"Crocbot to Doctor Robotnik. I've arrived on the Space Station." He speaks into his comlink.  
Robotnik's face appears on a monitor in the hallway of the orbiting space station.  
"Welcome to my home away from home, Crocbot. Have you eliminated the Downunda Freedom Fighters?" He asks.  
"Well, no, not exactly." the robotic reptile says.  
"What??? Why not?" Robotnik asks, shocked. "what are you DOING down there?"  
"Sir, I was in the process of killing the Freedom Fighters when a two-tailed fox showed up and helped them." Crocbot explains.  
Robotnik thinks about this for a second.  
"Hmm, that must have been Tails... he shouldn't have been any problem." He says to himself before "Sir, the fox seems to be able to use some sort of power, like a Power Ring. He even shot a hole through me." He growls angrily, pointing to the large gaping hole in his chest and back.  
"What!?" Robotnik leans for to see the extent of the damage before offering a 'Hmmm' of thought.  
"I see... it seems every time I improve my methods, the miserable rodents find a way to trump me." Robotnik stands up and begins to pace a bit as he explains. "Forunately, I am far from defeated... you see, all these years out in orbit have caused me to rethink my methods."  
He sudden stops and turns shaking his fist in a bit of mock triumph. "Now, FINALLY, I am on my way to making a creation that not even the blue hedgehog could ever hope to defeat!"  
The round doctor finally calls out. "Sakura! Enter!"  
A moment passes before a door to the command center opens and steps forward a cyborg, a female bodied half robot, half grey fox.  
"This lovely lady will deal with the two-tailed menace. You, on the other hand Crocbot, will ensure none of the others get in her way. Not that I'm concerned about their pathetic resistance with my latest creation around." He says.  
Crocbot stands still, a bit appauled by the idea of being nothing but an escort to a half flesh freak.  
"But sir..." the robot replies hesistantly.  
"Just because she's half mobian does not mean she's weak. Oh no... she's quite capable indeed. Now don't waste any more of my time, unless you want to be rebuilt as can-openers." Robotnik says, pointing towards the door, ordering them to leave.  
"Just wait, fatman... soon, I'll kill you and take over." He says under his breath.  
"WHAT was that, Crocbot?" Robotnik asks.  
"I said 'just wait, great one... soon, you'll rule this planet'." Crocbot lies as he leaves with Sakura, stepping into the capsule that will depart and land back on Downunda.  
As Crocbot steps into the space capsule, she turns to Doctor Robotnik.  
"We have a deal, Doctor." She says to him, glaring at him, particularly scary with her one red eye.  
"Yes, and i've been keeping my end, Sakura. You bring me the dead body of Tails, and I will restore you back to your gray-fox self." He says.  
"Good. I see that we have an agreement you intend on keeping." she says to him, following crocbot into the capsule.

The water of Botany Bay is calm, clearly reflecting the clear blue sky. A red-furred, gloved paw dives into the water, disturbing its tranquility. The wallaby sniffs the water and looks at it.  
"It's not contaminated... what could he want with Botany Bay?" He asks himself as he pours the water over his head and face, cooling himself off as well as cleaning his now-bandaged muzzle.  
He walks back into the first aid building, where Barby is resting.  
"Looks like the water's clean. I have no idea why bolt-head would send something like that here without doing any real damage to the village." Walt says.  
"It's likely just a test." Tails says.  
Walt arches an eyebrow. "A test?"  
"He was only interested in us, this 'Crocbot' is obviously weilding some kind of new technology. The Knothole freedom fighters never encountered anything like that, even at Doomsday."  
Tails continues. "It's been years since Robotnik had staged any kind of attack, that undoubtably means he's had all this time to work on more dangerous machines."  
Walt nods slowly. "Well, it's obviously paying off... I dunno what we'll do if something even tougher than that is in the works."  
The wallaby looks down to the resting qualla and brushes a paw over her forehead, feeling no sign of a fever.  
The fox suddenly turns and walks to the door. "I have to get back to the Knothole, Sonic and the others must know of this."  
Walt looks up, a sudden uncomfortable feeling washing over him... one he'd never felt before, one of distinct fear.  
"Wait... Tails! If Croc comes back, there's a real chance we won't be able to deal with him... especially Barby out of it. We have other fighters here, but none of them are up to the challenge of facing that thing."  
The fox stops and turns, walking back over... giving a sigh, knowing he's right. "Well, alright... but i've got to notify them somehow, and soon."

As the tiny capsule orbits the planet, it passes over the northern hemisphere. Crocbot looks out of the window, observing the planet.  
"Doctor Robotnik, I'm reporting as I orbit the planet. I can see skyscrapers in the area of Mobotropolis. I think the furs may have rebuilt their city." Crocbot says.  
Doctor Robotnik chuckles with delight. They don't know that the city is still abandoned at this time, however.  
"Perfect. They've given me something to destroy... and if they have NOT rebuilt... destroying the city, and their dreams along with it, would still be a delightful victory." He says.  
"Crocbot, just keep in mind that you need to destroy the Downunda Freedom Fighters. That's something you have failed to do ever since Robotnik fled, 8 years ago." Sakura reminds him.  
A few hours pass, and they orbit the world a few more times, waiting for the perfect time and place to re-enter.  
"Just remember to stay out of my way, Crocbot. You can kill whoever you want, but the two-tailed fox is MINE." She says to him.  
"Yes, yes... but I get the others." He chuckles, replying to her.

By this time, night has fallen over the continent of Downunda. The furs sleep in their huts. If they were awake, they'd see the capsule falling to earth overhead, like a meteor. It crashes in the desert of the west, far from anyone that would hear it. Crocbot steps out of the capsule with Sakura and types a code in on the numeric pad on his wrist.  
"What are you doing?" She asks him.  
"You'll see, robofox." He says, aiming his hand at the capsule.  
It starts to change modes from a capsule into a tank.  
"Robotnik and his robots never travel underprepared. This should help us out." He says.  
"Well then, this is bound to be blast." She says, folding her arms.  
The robotic reptile hops into the tank with silver, and attaches a wire from his right hand to its connection console. The tank roars to life and starts to move as he steers it.  
"Goodbye, Botany Bay. Hello, slave labour camp." He chuckles as he drives through the desert, towards the jungle.  
The tank drives slowly through the brush, and fording a four foot deep river towards the bayside community. Soon, Crocbot's tank passes through the hills, decending them towards the bay around sunrise. He parks his tank on the northern "hill" of the gate to the bay, which at one time in the distant past was the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He shoots a shell into the town, blasting the armoury and defense building.  
"Wow! This one's more powerful than I thought!" He laughs.  
The furs run in terror from the blasting, hiding behind some of the buildings.  
"What's going on?" One dingo asks.  
"I don't know! I think we're under attack!" the female dingo replies, covering her head with her arms as a few bricks fall, the building having sustained another direct hit.

Walt and Tails hear the destruction occurring to Botany Bay. Walt looks out the window.  
"He's back. And he has a tank!" Walt growls.  
"I'm coming to help." Tails says, walking out of the First Aid station with Walt.  
Immediately, Sakura sees Walt and Tails.  
"You're mine, kitsune." She says, running towards him through the dusty streets.  
Tails and Walt split up, with Walt running towards the bay to help some furs into the evacuation canoes, and Tails running towards Crocbot, in his tank. As he turns the corner, he runs right into a half-robotic, half-gray fox hybrid. They both fall to the ground. Tails rubs his head.  
"Oh! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to--" tails says as he rubs his head, pausing when he sees her, noting her cybernetic apprehisively Sakura analyzes Tails, noting his twin tails and kitsune power strength.

"Oh, it's okay... Are you Miles Prower?" She asks. Tails stands up slowly, nodding.  
"Yeah... but i prefer to be called "Tails"." He says, taking a step back, feeling that something is just not right.  
"How do you know of me?" He asks her.  
"Tails, your adventures are LEGENDARY. How can anyone NOT know about you?" She says, extending her paw in "friendship".;  
"I'm Sakura." She says. Tails keeps his hands close to him.  
"I'm sorry for not shaking your hand, but I find it hard to trust you..." he says.  
"Why? is it my robotic half? You shouldn't judge furs by their appearence." She says.  
"No no... it's not that... I just don't know if you're trying to trick me, use me... or if you work for Robotnik... or you may be a good fur. I just can't tell yet. I mean, we did just meet afterall." He says.  
She pauses for a moment to take in the finding from her robotic sensors, thinking to herself 'Incredible, his whole body is shrouded in some kind of energy, let's just hope he knows to use it... i'm not in the mood for some pushover.'

"We gotta go help everyone!" Tails says, taking her hand, trying to run. Sakura remains still.  
"Huh, why aren't you leaving? He's trying to kill everyone!" Tails says.  
"You go ahead, Tails. I can hold my own. I'll meet you later at the Bay." She says, letting Tails free her hand from his grasp.  
"A-alright..." He says, cautiously running back towards his friends near the beach.  
He watches Sakura turn around and walk away slowly.  
"Crocbot, he's as good as dead." Sakura says. Crocbot becomes angry.  
"You mean he's not dead YET? Sakura... Doctor Robotnik will destroy both of us if he doesn't get the body of Tails..." Crocbot tells the robotic fox.  
"I know. Don't worry. I intend on seducing, then destroying him." She says.  
"You clever girl. Playing with his heart, then ripping it out of him, both figuratively, and literally." He says.  
"Crocbot, you're not as hopeless as I thought. Just stay away from Tails." She says.  
"I know, Sakura." He replies. She starts to walk away, towards the bay.  
"I'll contact you when I'm ready." She says to him. Crocbot controls his tank once more, driving it down one of the streets, aiming it at a building, then down a street.  
He sees Tails pushing one of the canoes into the bay, from a far distance.  
"Perfect." He grins, keeping with Tails in his crosshairs as he drives, firing his tank's gun.  
He stairs in shock and amazement as the bullets bounce off of him, deflected as if his fur was bullet-proof.  
"WHAT??? IMPOSSIBLE!" He shouts, hiting his fists into the controlboard of the tank.  
Sakura runs towards Tails, seeing as he's shot, but unhurt.  
"Oh no! Tails! Are you alright?" She asks, feigning concern quite well.  
"Y-yeah... I'm fine. The bullets just bounced right off me..." he says, surprised as he feels himself over.  
"Crocbot. That no-good scaly sneak." She growls, running off, leaving a startled and somewhat confused Tails on the beach.  
Walt runs up from behind after beaching his canoe.  
"Tails! Come on! We'll look ya over on the other side of the bay. Come on!" He says, pulling tails by the arm into his canoe, pushing off.

Sakura walks through the dust towards the tank.  
"What are you doing with my bounty? I'm supposed to be the one to get him." She asks him.  
"I'm taking care of him, since you have failed. That's the thing with organic beings. You're weak and you let your emotions get the best of you." He chuckles, much to the anger of Sakura.  
"You don't seem to listen well. Are you audio sensors malfunctioning, Crocbot, or do you just like seeing me ANGRY?" She asks, standing on top of his tank.  
"If you won't do your job, then I Will, silver." He says, opening the hatch and crawling out.  
"That fox is TOO dangerous to let live." he growls.  
"You just don't get it, do you? I have a plan, you obsolete dinosaur. You keep messing it up for us!" She snarls, stepping closer to Crocbot, who actually steps off his tank, backwards onto the ground, nervous, if a robot could experience emotions.  
"I told you not to get in my way. You disobeyed me and Doctor Robotnik. He gave me the right to terminate you if you messed up again, and this was the last straw." She grins, her red robotic eye glowing as her metallic claws sharpen.  
"Terminate? You can't. I'm robotnik's District Governor for Downunda." He replies as his wrist-mounted guns open, for self-defense.  
"Were." She says. When Croc shows his guns to try and defend himself, she smirks and suddenly lashes forward, grasping the robotic hand and thursting a leg on crocbot's chest plate. She suddenly gives a powerful tug with completely rips the robot's left arm from it's socket.  
The crocbot looks at the removed arm with astonishment. "No way! How..."  
"Do you really think you can stop me? Your weapons are nothing but toys compared to me..." She gives maniaical laughter before suddenly walking back to the tank and actually picks it up off of the ground, holding the many ton weapon over her head.  
"You're outdated and incompetent. All you'll govern now, is a scrap heap, Crocbot." She suddenly throws the tank with great force toward the robot who tries, with great futility to protect himself from the hurdling object.  
A loud crash happens as it impacts, the combined wreckage of what was once a tank and robot landing around them.

"One down, two to go." The soft-spoken words echo lightly off the walls of the houses nearby.


	5. Chapter 5

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 12, 3241 - Tails' Adventure  
- - - - - -

Chapter 4 - Tadashi Returns (Part 1)

"So this book can tell me how I can make a good bit of money?" The fanged australian weasel-wolf asks a fennec merchant in a desert town in the east.  
"Yes. This book tells you of many different objects and items from antiquity." He says, with a heavy arabic accent.  
"Now, some of these even date from before the days of fury... they'll fetch quite a high price on the Black Market." He tells the bounty hunter.  
"Oh really? Thanks a lot." He smirks, paying the merchant for the book.  
"Now, let's see what's in here... ancient echidna statues... furry weapons... chaos emeralds... wait a second." He smirks, looking back at the emeralds.  
"Seven chaos emeralds, each with unlimited power. They are scattered across the planet, and are in unknown locations. They have been known to grant those who possess them great supernatural powers." He reads.  
"I like the sound of that." He chuckles, closing the book.  
He places it in his backpack and gets on his hoverbike.

As Nack drives his hoverbike across the desert, he continues to glance at the book.  
"The most powerful of the Chaos Emeralds known is the Master Emerald. Standing at an amazing 2 feet wide, this gem offers nearly unlimited powers." He reads, daydreaming of the riches he could gain from catching and selling this gem.  
Nack's hoverbike flies over the desert, and past an Oasis.  
"The Master Emerald is held on Angel Island, and is fiercely guarded by the Guardian, an echidna." He continues to read to himself, glancing up only occasionally so he does not lose control.  
"Heh. I can take care of any guardian. Easily." he says to himself, looking at the gun on his handlebars.  
The weasel stops abruptly at the coast of the Western ocean, seeing a massive floating island with a mountain range on it.  
"Gotcha. Guardian, your emerald's as good as mine!" Nack chuckles, looking at the floating island through his binoculars.  
The hoverbike accellerates towards a nearby hill.  
"I'm gonna need all the speed i can get." Nack says to himself as he drives up the hill, over the cliff, and towards the Island.

Nack's hoverbike flies off the cliff with relative ease. Fang watches around himself, roughly 250 meters above the ocean surface. He presses a button on his handlebars, firing his ramjets at full speed. He rockets towards the Floating Island, landing on its surface.  
"This is going to be a walk in the park." He says to himself, adjusting his hat as he cruises slowly through the dense jungle of Angel Island.

Deep inside the the Master Emerald chamber, a solitary figure is meditating in front of the emerald. Concentrating on his duities to protect the island and all its inhabitants. His eyes open, and a terrible vibe goes through his body, resonating through him and the Master Emerald.  
"Someone's coming. An unwelcome visitor." He says to himself as he stands up.  
"Well, it's time I give this would-be thief a lesson." he says, walking towards the the entrance to the underground chamber.  
He rolls the large boulder out of the way, and he walks out into the rainforest, looking for his nemesis.  
"Alright, where are you?" he growls to himself.

Nack parks his hoverbike and hides it behind some bushes. He takes out his backpack from the trunk, getting his sunglasses, and his handgun. The weasel thief places the gun in its holster on his belt.  
"It's party time." He says, walking off into the rainforest.  
He is careful not to touch any plants or mushrooms, not knowing if they may be poisonous, or acidic.  
"This is quite the garden." he says to hismelf.  
He stops dead in his tracks, seeing another person nearby.  
"Who's he?" He asks himself.  
He notices the collar ring around the person's neck.  
"A ha... that must be the Guardian." He grins.  
His hand reaches down, grasping his gun. He then walks out into sight of the guardian.  
"Howdy there, partner." He says.  
The guardian gets a very bad feeling from this newcomer.  
"Stand back!" he orders. "I'll defend myself and my island!"  
"Relax! I'm just a visitor. Maybe you could give me a tour around here? I'm lost. The name's Nack the Weasel." He smirks, lying.  
The guardian sees through this.  
"Nice try. Why don't you get back on your vehicle and go back the way you came, Nack. This island is OFF LIMITS to outsiders." He says, in a defensive stance. "This is your last warning."  
"Nah. Why don't you hand over the Master Emerald, boy?" He says. The guardian is shocked.  
"How does he know about my emerald?" He asks himself in his head. "Not on my life."  
"Very well. I gave ya a chance to cooperate." Nack says, quickly pulling out his gun, firing at the guardian.  
He dodges and rolls, but is shot in the forearm, and blacks out from the pain, collapsing on the ground shortly after being shot. Nack picks up his body, places it against the wall of the grotto, and walks back into the grotto where the Master Emerald lies. He dumps the guardian's comatose body on the cold hard ground and walks towards the emerald.  
"Cha-CHING, baby!" He says, rubbing his hands together.  
He then stops in his tracks.  
"It could be booby-trapped. Lasers, or spikes or somthin'." He says to himself.  
He steps around, looking for a trap door or any sort of security system in place to defend and protect the Master Emerald against would-be thieves.  
"Nothin'." He sprays for laysers with some mist.  
"Hm. Nothin' still." He approaches the emerald, taking out his booklet.  
He skims through it, reading that the Master Emerald is the island's source of levitation in the sky.  
"Well, I would love to take you, my precious gem... you'd fetch a hefty price for me on the black market... so tell ya what. Daddy'll take ya with him. You'd like that, wouldn't ya..." He chuckles.

The weasel places his paws under the emerald and lifts, slowly taking it out of its portal. He hauls it back to his bike, where he straps it to the rear, just behind his seat. He feels the ground beginning to shake.  
"An earthquake? Nah... this place is in the sky. Time for me to go, anyway." He says to himself, before taking off on his hoverbike.  
He sees the island starting to lose altitude, sinking out of the air without the Master Emerald's power to sustain it and keep it floating in the sky.  
"Heh. Good thing i got outta there!" He snickers to himself.

A soft groaning sound is heard echoing off the grotto's stone walls. The guardian opens his eyes, finding himself in dim light. He also feels his body wet, as half an inch of water has seeped into the grotto, along with some water dripping through the ceiling.  
"W-water? What happened?" he groans, rubbing his head, feeling the searing pain in his arm and shoulder.  
He also notices something odd about the room. He feels something is missing. He immediately sees the emerald is gone! It fills him with rage, as he knows the island has most likely fallen from the sky onto the planet's ocean below. He walks slowly out of the cave, seeing that part of the rainforest is under around a foot of water. He sees in the distance, the ocean. The island is slowly sinking into the sea, like a giant stone.

"Nack, I swear on my honour, that I'll get you and return my Master Emerald, and my island, or my name isn't Knuckles The Echidna!" He shouts out, not caring if the weasel can hear him or not.  
He concentrates as he stands in the now waist-deep in water, his body starting to glow green.  
He pictures the missing Master Emerald in his head as he closes his eyes, meditating and concentrating.  
"Master Emerald, appear to me!" he says, holding his hands out towards the Master Emerald Portal. He sees the Master Emerald is in the backpack of Nack the Weasel, or "Fang the Sniper", as he calls himself, who is flying in his airbike over the ocean, towards the mainland.  
"I see where you are. I will find you and return you to your rightful place." He says as he keeps his eyes closed, concentrating hard.  
He then stops concentrating, having his energy drained from his concentration.  
"I can't do that too often. I need that emerald back..." He growls, panting to himself, leaning against the grotto walls with a paw.

The hoverbike lands in the forest and its weasel rider steps off of it.  
"That was too easy. Those echidnas are so gullible. No wonder the rest were all killed off by the dingoes." He laughs, unloading his sleeping bag.  
The weasel crawls into it, placing his hat in his sleeping bag as he closes his eyes, drifting off.

In Downunda, Walt and the Downunda Freedom Fighters are planning to regroup and return to Botany Bay. Duck "Bill" Platypus is loading the canoe full of supplies.  
"That's the last crate, mate." He says to Walt, who is talking with Barby and Tails.  
"If that metal psycho is still there, we'll rip 'im to shreads." Barby says.  
Tails swishes his tails. He walks slowly to the end of the pier, sniffing the air.  
"I don't think we need to worry about Crocbot anymore." He says.  
"what do you mean?" walt asks him, somewhat confused.  
"I can just feel things... like the magnetic field. I can't sense his presence. He's been destroyed. But the other one's still there, though." He says.  
"Pah. We can handle that silver fox." Wombat Stu says, helping Walt and Barby into the canoe.  
Walt happens to notice there are not enough seats for all of them, with their supplies on board as well. One will need to stay behind to wait for a second trip, unless they wanted to walk a very long way around the bay.  
"Wait, Tails... aren't you coming?" Walter asks the two-tailed fox.  
"Yeah. You watch. They don't call me 'T2' for nothing." He smirks, pushing the canoe off, back towards the village of Botany Bay.  
Tails pushes as he flies like a helicopter with his twin tails, running on the surface of the water.  
"Oh my goodness. H-how are you doing that?" Barby asks, absolutely amazed of the true flying fox.  
"I have twin tails, guys. I've been able to fly since my friend Sonic taught me when I was little." He explains, pushing them across the water with ease.  
Walt stands at the bow of the canoe, scanning the area for any threats. The wallaby shields his eyes with his hand, so the sun and surf do not blind him.  
"Looks like we're all in the clear." He says, watching the approaching shore slowly.

"That's it, mobians. Come back for round two of your punishment." Silver says as she waits for them on the roof of the first-aid building.  
"Silver to Robotnik. The Donunda Freedom Fighters are attempting a counter-attack. What are your instructions?" She asks him over her intercom.  
"Take them out, any way you see fit." He replies.  
"Excelelnt." She gives a wicked smile, looking back at the furs as they arrive, starting to unload the gear from their canoe.  
She punches in a numerical code on her forearm, and suddenly lifts her arms toward the sky.  
"Let the fun begin!" She says to herself as she stands on the roof top.

"Oh great, she's right there!" Walt says, ducking with the others behind the pier.  
"I never left, you moronic marsupial. You guys are so slow... I could've burned this place down then taken a nap before you showed up." She smirks.  
They run up near the hut as she stands with her arm held high. "What in the world is she doing up there?" One of them says, noting her uplifted arm.  
She looks up to the sky and cackles out. "Oh my, it looks like rain."  
The others look up as well, noting a mass of storm clouds swirling unnaturally in the sky, dark with rain and beginning to crackle loudly with thunder.  
"Bloody hell, is she actually doing that!?" Another calls out before Walt replies.  
"She has to be, that mass of clouds wasn't on the horizon when we came in!"  
Silver begins to give her crazed laughter again. "Behold, the storm module. I'd scatter if I were you... you can fight me, but you can't fight the elements.  
The wind suddenly begins to pick up with gale force, and lightning begins to strike all around them.

"You guys find shelter! I'll deal with her." Tails yells out amidst the storm, the others quickly gather up and tread their way carefully to a local storm shelter, Barby giving a lasting gaze before Walt pulls her away.  
"Silver, i'm calling you out, Fox to Fox." He says, standing brave and tall on the shore. "Leave them out of this, if it's a fight you want... I'm right here!"  
"You're cute and brave, but foolish. It's a pity I have to kill you." funnel clouds begin to form in the sky as the rain begins to pour.  
"How do you expect the fight weather, huh!? Nobody can stop mother nature. I'll generate a whirlwind big enough to turn this area in ruins!"  
Tails growls, fur and clothing getting matted by the rain. "I can't fight mother nature... but I can definately fight you." He tenses up, his fur beginning to glow one again as the power rises.  
Lightning strikes mere feet from him and even amdist the deafining sound he doesn't flinch, the power filling him with incredible sense of power and courage.  
He suddenly shouts out and does a sonic leap up at Silver, empowered by his magic aura as he rams his head straight into Silver's flesh gut.  
She cries out and tumbles off of the hut, falling down onto her feet and clutching her stomach... her weather control interrupted and the storm already beginning to fade.  
"Why you... little shit." She growls out, Tails landing just a few feet behind her, quickly turning to face her.

She suddenly regains her composure and laughs. "Clever, but that's certainly not the only thing I can do."  
She lashes out with a spinning kick, using her mechanical force. Tails ducks quickly, letting her leg impact into the side of the hut, throughly smashing it.  
The two-tailed fox swoops up from beneath and gives a firm uppercut to her jaw. She stumbles back a bit and growls to him.  
"Heh, you're strong, but most like bot-brains... you're also slow." Tails calls out to her.  
She lifts her mechanical paw, opening it and showing a red orb in the middle of it which suddenly shoots out a laser beam, Tails moving around her in a circle path to get out the of the way.  
The beam's powerful enough to cut holes through the building and tress around them as she holds her focus, trying to get the vulpine.  
Tails makes a sudden suprise jump onto the roof of a shack behind her to try and escape the beam, but Silver is right on in her aim.  
The two tailed fox yipes in pain as her excellent anticipation of his moves bring the beam right across his body and falls down onto the roof of the hut, Silver shutting down the beam and grinning.  
"Ha... I got ya!" She leaps up to the hut as well, expecting to see a fox is two pieces... yet what she sees isn't quite what she had expected.  
Tails suddenly slowly stands up, still glowing with his mystic power. A bloddy slash through his garments where the beam hit, but it's easy to see that the wound is only skin deep.  
"I don't know what you're celebrating for... that barely even hurt." Tails says with mock grin, Silver beginning to back up in disbelief, hissing with dismay.  
"Why doesn't this suprise me..." The cyborg fox calls out before leaping several yards over to the roof of another hut to plot another attack.  
The other looks down over his now bloody shirt before actually slipping it off over his head and letting it fall to the ground.  
Tails takes a moment to look over the present damage already done over the village, noting the badly damaged hut and several downed trees.  
"Aww man, at this rate there isn't going to be much left of this place. I've gotta figure out something, and soon." He says with a distinct frown.

"Oh great, she's returned!" Walt says, ducking with the others behind the pier.  
"I never left, you moronic marsupial." She smirks, shooting part of the wooden pier.  
The freedom fighters quietly crawl underneath the pier, through about a foot of water as they try to escape from her shots.  
"Guys! I'll take care of her. You get to safety!" Tails shouts.  
"Alright. We'll meet up with ya soon, Tails." Walt says.  
He crawls with Barby and the rest of the freedom fighters, reaching one of their underground tunnel entrances. They crawl into it, single-file.

Tails crawls out from behind one of the crates.  
"Silver, i'm calling you out, Fox to Fox." He says, standing brave and tall on the shore.  
"You're cute and foolish. It's a pity I have to kill you." Silver says, aiming her gun at him.  
"Go ahead, Silver. Shoot me." Tails smirks.  
Silver grins and simply fires a few dozen rounds at tails. The bullets hit his fur and fall off him, as if they were striking a brick wall.  
"H-how? How could you have survived these bullets?" She asks him.  
Tails grins as he takes a power-ring out from his backpack, showing his secret to Silver.  
"Interesting. I'll spare you if you surrender the ring." She offers.  
"No thanks. I won't let this fall into the hands of Robotnik." He says, placing it back in his backpack.

In the Void, Ixis and Snively are watching from the wizard's lair, through his liquid glass portal, his window to Mobius.  
"The quickster's little brother seems to be fighting Silver quite well. However, I can't let her lose." He says to Snively.  
"Shall I open the Void, Ixis?" He asks.  
"No... not yet. Let's send her a playmate, though. She could use the help." He replies.  
Snively nods his head. "Very well, sir."  
He walks out from the lair, and into the crystalline world that is the Void.  
"Tadashi, where are you?" He says in the giant cavernous world. Out of the shadows, a brown-furred jackal steps into the light.  
"You called me?" He asks, calmly and with a sense of finality about him.  
"Ixis wants you to assist Silver. If Robotnik's robotic fox falls to the freedom fighters... well... that will set us back considerably." He expliains.  
"Very well." The jackal says, walking with Snively.  
The human presses a crystal button on the wall of a cave. It opens up, revealing a portal to Mobius.  
"The one you are looking for, is Tails the Fox." He tells the jackal.  
"Don't mess up, Tadashi. Ixis will bring his wrath upon you if you do." He warns.  
"That won't need to happen. I'll succeed." He grins, stepping into the portal.

The jackal is pulled through the whirlwind, before being thrown out, landing only 50 meters from Tails and Silver. He rolls as he lands, as to not hurt himself. He lands crouched upon one knee, with one paw on the ground. He simply grins and looks forward at Tails, knowing that he is his prey and then the other one who he has been fighting.  
Tails gets a nagging feeling and suddenly looks over in the distance, spying the other in the distance.  
"What... another one?" He think aloud as he new assailant actually begins flying, hovering over between the two.  
"I am Tadashi, Tails. I am the last person you will see before you die." He speaks before unsheathing a sword that soon begins to give an odd blue glow.  
Tails takes a defensive stance against this newcomer, then he looks back briefly at Silver, knowing he's being double-teamed, but not knowing which is the greater threat to him and his friends. His heart is pounding a mile a minute, and his face shows unease, nervousness, and even fear.  
"How did i get myself into this mess? Oh man, this just isn't my day. " He asks himself.  
He quickly scans his surroundings, seeing a few seemingly useless items scattered about. He ditches being afraid, trying to summon up some self-confidence. "Alright. Whenever you two are ready." He laughs, calling them onto him.

Curiousity gets the better of the others in hiding and the door to the storm shelter swings open, the freedom fighters quickly stepping out.  
Walt motions back to the others to lay low as he takes in the situation, seeing not only the cyborg, but another strange mobian hovering amidst the fray.  
Duck "Bill" and Barby move up closer with Walt as they peer around a hut at the damage and then out to the combatants.  
"Who is that?" Bill whispers quietly.  
"I don't know but he doesn't look very friendly either." Walt whispers back to him before Barby points out.  
"Oh no, Tails is hurt..." She adds before Walt replies.  
"Yeah, but he isn't showing it... this kid's tough stuff." He adds before the action suddenly jumps back to life.

Tadashi does a flying lunge at Tails with his sword who quickly side steps and gives a supercharged smack against him with his tails, sending him carreening into the bay with a splash.  
Before Tails has time to recoop Silver is already pouncing at him which lands a successful tackle, taking him down off of the hut with her on top.  
The two-tailed fox below struggles against her mechanical strength, pushing much of his power to his limbs to assist against the terrible strength.  
"There's no use resisting now... your power will run out and your weak limbs will cave in like wet noodles." She hisses down to him as she fights against him.  
"That's... exactly why... i'm breaking away from you... right now!" He manages to wedge his legs free and gives a powerful double kick to Silver's unarmored belly.  
She cries out in pain and is hurled as well into bay, just a few feet behind them. Tails jumping back up to his feet as Tadashi resurfaces, brushing himself off.  
"You are going to pay for that!" He says, sword readied as he begins to slowly walk up to Tails.  
Suddenly Silver begins to lift herself out of the water as well, Tails a bit suprised to see that her cybernetic parts haven't short circuited.  
"Oh... that's it... you are so dead." She growls as she approaches, blind with anger.  
Tails, struggling a bit with ideas beginning to back up as the two approach him from two different angles, moving slowly.  
Then suddenly, as if it were a club sent to him... a crack of lightning occurs from the freak storm above that Silver was never able to finish.

A plan now forming in his mind, Tails waits until they are less than 2 meters from him. He suddenly tenses his body, filling his twin tails with the majority of his stored energy. This sudden change prompts the other two to charge right on cue.  
He suddenly releases his pent up energy, spinning his tails furiously and then using the suddenly propulsion to spin his body. He spins so fast that it creates a whirlwind around him, sucking the other two straight up to him where his tails bash against them each spin.  
He leans the spin stop suddenly and holds two palms full of glowing energy towards the thoroughly dazed and bloodied foes before simultaneously letting the charges go with a bang, blasting them clear out of village.  
Walt suddenly pushes the others back along with himself as the body of Silver goes soaring by them, crashing heavily into the group nearby.

Tails pants, letting the rest of the energy fade from his body as the last attack left him throughly spent, sitting down onto the ground.  
"That's it... that's all I have... if they survived that, i'm in trouble." He says amidst pants.  
Walt looks around, seeing that Silver isn't moving before telling the others around him. "Bill, Stu... go check out the mechincal fox and shout if she starts moving again. Barby and I will go check on Tails and see if the other's still around."  
They nod and split up, running in their seperate directions.

The wallaby and koala run up to Tails, Barby looking over him as Walt looks around surveying the damage.  
"You did it, Tails! Are you okay?" Barby says, kneeling down next to him "I think so, but I doubt it was enough to finish them." Tails explains.  
Wombat Stu is suddenly heard from the other side of the village, calling out. Walt and Barby run back over, fearful that Silver may still be a threat to them... Tails lumbering after them.  
Bill points to Silver on the ground as they arrive. "She looks really roughed up, but she's still alive."  
Silver opens her eyes and looks to them and tries to sit up, digging the her digits into the ground as she struggles, just to fall back flat on her back.  
"I... I can't.... believe I fell for... that." Tears suddenly start to well up in her eyes, streaming down her cheek, meeting a bit of blood from her muzzle.  
"Now... now i'll never... never get my... body back." She begins to sob softly, her cybernetic systems visibly powering down even though her body is still concious.  
Tails gets down on to his knees near her, looking down into her eyes. "He promised you that he'd give your body back, didn't he?" He can see real emotion and suffering in her flesh eye.  
"Y-yes..." She replies before Tails sighs lightly.  
"He lied to you... he's merely used you, you're not the only one he's promised such lies to... but, if you promise to give up the fight, you can truly have your body back."

The freedom fighters just kind of stand there in awe for a moment before Walt shakes his head and looks to the others. "Alright guys, we gotta look for the other one."  
They begin to looks around the area, unable to find anything and soon meet back up in the center putting together plans as Tails walks back into the area, carrying the half-robotic fox in his arms.  
"Hey, are you actually going to help somebody that just tried to kill you?" Walt asks as Tails walks by.  
"Yes, i'm not going to lower myself to their level. I'll be back soon." He adds as he walks off, moving away in the direction of the jungle.  
Barby blinks, looking toward the fox and calling out. "Where are you going?"  
Tails stops and looks behind him as he replies. "The only person around here I know that might be able to help us." Before walking out of sight.  
Walt places a paw on Barby's shoulder. "I don't know where he's going... but i'm sure he'll be back."

<-  
Tadashi charges at Tails with his sword. As silver is about to snatch the twin-tailed fox, he jumps up into the air, flying above them. He jumps off the side of the roof of the First-Aid building, watching as Silver chases him, as he was hoping. He jumps down towards the ground and hits the ground running, with Tadashi and Silver close behind.  
"What's he doing? And who's that other guy?" Duck "Bill" asks Walt as they watch from one of their secret hideouts.  
"I-I'm not sure." The wallaby replies.  
Barby Koala is cheering on Tails as he runs. He curls his tails behind him, propelling himself across the water, skimming along it like an airboat in the bayou. Silver laughs and simply runs out into the water, knee-deep. She begins to fire at Tails, who was hoping the water would have shorted her out.

"Toss me at him. I will defeat him in the water, and claim his tails as a trophy." Tadashi says. Silver complies and lifts the jackal up with her robotic arm, tossing him out into the bay.  
He lands in the water, diving deep under it. Tails is now frightened, looking around for him as he runs. He goes under as the jackal grabs his foot, pulling him deep into the water with him.  
"Oh no! Tails!" Barby gasps as she watches in horror from one of the other buildings, with her friends.  
Tails growls and slashes at whoever is trying to drown him, struggling for breath. The jackal then swims past him, as he finds himself free to surface once again. He looks around, very scared. "Where are you?" He shouts as he swims back towards shore.  
"Right behind you." Tadashi growls, about to strike tails down with his sword. Tails dives rapidly, swimming through the water with the skills of a seal. He quickly reaches shore, where Silver starts to shoot at him. Tails keeps running, looking behind him as he sees Silver diving into the bay, upon seeing some bubbles at the surface. Tadashi's trapped his foot on some seaweed. Silver rips the weeds apart, freeing the jackal's leg. They surface from the water a couple seconds later. Tails stops to catch his breath, seeing the two running towards him once more.  
"I can't keep this up..." He pants to himself.  
"Use your Tornado Spin..." Genra speaks to tails in his mind.

Tails waits until they are less than 2 meters from him. He curls his tails as he waits, before unleashing his energy, spinning him around like a tornado, repeatdly striking his enemies with his tails, throwing them over 200 meters back. Tadashi lands hard on his back, and Silver lands on her face in the sand. She growls in embarassment.  
"This isn't over, Tails." She says to him as Tadashi slowly gets up.  
They walk off into the hills, where their landing capsule is located.

Walt and the freedom fighters come out from the building.  
"You did it, Tails! You beat Silver and Tadashi!" Walt says.  
"For now, yes. She'll be back. I think we just got lucky this time." Tails explains.  
"Well, how can we fend her off?" Wombat Stu asks.  
"I have no idea. I need to go meditate for a bit, guys." Tails says, rubbing his head, very mentally exhausted.  
The Freedom Fighters understand, and they let the young fox walk into the rainforest.

Footsteps are heard with the rustling of leaves. A furred anthropomorphic figure walks along the woodland trail. His tails swish slowly behind him, as he sits down on a log. Tails is walking through the forests as well, when he sees a twin-tailed fox in the bushes. He is scared, fearing that may be his evil counterpart from the test.

Tails slowly walks through the brush, approaching the older fox.  
"Who are you?" Tails asks.  
"I am Wesley Prower." He asks.  
Tails raises and eyebrow at this.  
"My name is Miles Prower, but my friends call me 'Tails'. Are we related?" He asks.  
"I think so. My father was a general in the Royal Mobian Army. His name was Amadeus." He explains.  
"That's my father." Tails says, opening his eyes a bit more in suprise.  
"I heard he was roboticized when I was just 3 or 4... then mum disappeared when I was 11... I fear that swatbots may have caught her." He says.  
"We'll get her back from them. Dad has his free will back, and living with Sonic and Sally in Knothole Village." Tails explains to his brother.  
"Knothole still stands? Absolutely amazing! You guys have been the leading inspiration to survive for all the freedom fighter groups on Mobius. The guiding light in our fight against Robotnik." Wesley tells his brother.  
Tails is amazed from this revelation. He had no idea that all the other freedom fighter groups looked to the Knothole Freedom Fighters band for guidance and inspiration.  
Wesley realizes just who it is that Tails is carrying.  
"That's Silver... why are you bringing her here?" Wes asks as the half-robotic creature rests with eye closed in his arms.  
"She's just another victim of Robotnik's trechery... I can sense that she has a kind heart and seek to find a remedy for her condition." Tails explains.  
Wes nods and ponders. "Well, i'm not sure if Genra has the ability to fix her, but if nothing else, he can watch over her... as for us, my brother... we have more pressing matters to attend to."  
Tails arches an eyebrow. "Oh... what do you mean?"  
Wes replies. "Well, young Prower... your mystic strength and skill is becoming great, but it's simply not enough to defeat the kind of foes you face. In fact, Tadashi wasn't finished in the slightest by your attack, he had simply ran away to plot a new means of attack and will return soon enough."  
Another voice soon appears in the darkness, a familar deep and powerful tone.  
"It will take more than your strength and skills to defeat him. For Silver and Tadashi are but your first real-world challenge, my student." Genra says, jumping down from a branch in the nearby tree... his many tails swaying behind him.  
"Huh?" Tails looks to Genra with a bit of confusion.  
"I mean, it's time you learned how to exceed your present forms, and morph into your more powerful forms." The wise kitsune explains.  
"How can I do that?" Tails inquires.  
"WIth this." He says, pulling out a chaos emerald.  
"This is a Chaos Emerald. Its powers are legendary. It will help you transform into your super forms. But this gem is but a tool in the long run, for you must learn how to transform without it if you wish to truly be able to protect your friends." He adds.  
"Now, let me take Silver to a secure place to heal and you, young kitsune, should rest... I can see you're quite drained and tired as well. In the morning, we shall train." Genra reaches out to take the resting cyborg from Tails' arms and walks off into the distance.

Dawn wakes the two foxes early in the morning. Tails stretches and gets up. He looks around, seeing Wesley making some fruits into breakfast.  
"Where's Genra?" Tails asks.  
"I dunno...I'm sure he's around here somewhere..." Wesley replies. Tails looks around, and sees Genra at the nearby stream, performing some sort of ritual on the chaos emerald to strengthen the two of them and protect them in battle.  
"Good morning, Tails." He says, wiping the emerald clean as he stands up, ankle-deep in the stream's waters.  
"It is time for you to free downunda from the parasite that is Ixis Naugus." He continues, walking with Tails back towards the camp.

The three furs eat their breakfast of fruits and water, and then gather in the meadow where they slept.  
"Place your hands with mine, on the emerald, young Prowers. Concentrate as hard as you can." Genra instructs.  
The furs do as they are instructed. At first, nothing happens.  
"Err... what is this supposed to do?" Tails asks quietly.  
"Hush child, focus upon the energy coming from the stone." Wes speaks to him.  
"Yes, picture it in your mind that the energy from the stone is drawing up into your body. Focus with all your might but do not strain yourself."  
Suddenly Tails can feel the sudden rush of energy coming from the stone and his body practically explodes with power, his fur standing on end and glowing bright than ever... the energy seeming to almost swirl around him."  
"This power... this is amazing! I feel... so alive!" Tails says with enthusiasm.  
"Excellent, now let your energy fade again and then try to reproduce the emerald's effects by yourself." Genra advises.  
Tails lets the power fade as instructed and then tenses up again, his fur reaching the glowing state again but not up to his full super form. He struggles a bit, trying to find the feeling.  
"Tails, imagine that your friends are in mortal danger and that this is only way that you save them. This kind of power is not created as a want, but as a need." Wed adds, watching him intently.  
The young kitsune focuses, imagining some terrible beast rampaging the knothole and his friends screams of agony. The efforts soon paying off as he explodes once again into his altered form.  
"Excellent Tails!" Genra offers his applause.  
"Amazing, he's a quick learner." Wes offers with a smile.  
"Indeed." Genra agrees. "My dear student, you have graduated. You are in your first level of your super forms. Keep in mind there are other states you can obtain, but you must not force them until your ready. You have the capacity but your body still plays a part in this and if you push yourself too hard too early... it may kill you." He smiles.  
Tails takes heed of his warning and lets the power fade from him again. "Alright, now let's hope i'm ready for Tadashi when he returns."

Tails slowly walks through the brush, approaching the older fox.  
"W-who are you?" Tails asks.  
"I am Wesley Prower." He asks.  
Tails raises and eyebrow at this.  
"My name is Miles Prower, but my friends call me 'Tails'. Are we related?" He asks.  
"I think so. My father was a general in the Royal Mobian Army. His name was Amadeus." He explains.  
"That's my father." Tails says, wagging his tails a bit.  
"I heard he was roboticized when I was just 3 or 4... then mum disappeared when I was 11... I fear that swatbots may have caught her." He says.  
"We'll get her back from them. Dad has his free will back, and living with Sonic and Sally in Knothole Village." Tails explains to his brother.  
"Knothole still stands? Absolutely amazing! You guys have been the leading inspiration to survive for all the freedom fighter groups on Mobius. The guiding light in our fight against Robotnik." Wesley tells his brother.  
Tails is amazed from this revelation. He had no idea that all the other freedom fighter groups looked to the Knothole Freedom Fighters band for guidance and inspiration.  
"I've also noticed you've been having problems from Ixis Naugus and Robotnik..." Wes says.  
"What do you mean, Wesley?" Tails asks.  
"You can call me Wes if you want... and I mean from Silver and Tadashi." He replies.  
"Yes... they seem to be quite hardy little pests. They won't leave my friends alone." Tails says.  
"It will take more than your strength and skills to defeat these two. For they are your first real-world challenge, my students." Genra says, jumping down from a branch in the nearby tree.  
"What do you mean?" Wes asks.  
"I mean, it's time you learned how to exceed your present forms, and morph into your super forms." The wise kitsune explains.  
"How can we do that?" Tails inquires.  
"WIth this." He says, pulling out a chaos emerald.  
"This is a Chaos Emerald. Its powers are nearly limitless. It will help you transform into your super forms." He adds.  
"Now, rest. In the morning, we shall train for your showdown with her." Genra says as he climbs back into the tree, making himself comfortable on a branch, watching the two foxes make beds out of leaves and shrubs before falling asleep.

Dawn wakes the two foxes early in the morning. Tails stretches and gets up. He looks around, seeing Wesley making some fruits into breakfast.  
"Where's Genra?" Tails asks.  
"I dunno...I'm sure he's around here somewhere..." Wesley replies. Tails looks around, and sees Genra at the nearby stream, performing some sort of ritual on the chaos emerald to strengthen the two of them and protect them in battle.  
"Good morning, Tails." He says, wiping the emerald clean as he stands up, ankle-deep in the stream's waters.  
"It is time for you and Wesley to free downunda from the parasite that is Ixis Naugus." He continues, walking with Tails back towards the camp.

The three furs eat their breakfast of fruits and water, and then gather in the meadow where they slept.  
"Place your hands with mine, on the emerald, young Prowers. Concentrate as hard as you can." Genra instructs.  
The furs do as they are instructed. At first, nothing happens, but then a whirlwind forms where they are standing, wtih the emerald in the center. It begins to glow, and their fur stands on end. The two foxes' bodies glow a brilliant gold, and with a bright flash, they have transformed into Turbo Tails and Turbo Kitsune.

"My students, you have graduated. You are in your first level of your super forms. I think you're ready to defeat Silver." He smiles.  
The three furs walk back towards Botany Bay, looking for Silver.  
"Alright, Silver... Tadashi... I'm calling you both out!" Tails yells.  
"Can they hear us?" Turbo Kitsune asks.  
"We'll Find out." Turbo Tails replies.  
"How laughable. They think they can beat me by dressing up like super heroes." Tadashi says.  
Silver scans about along the beach, looking for them. She sees two foxes walking back from the forest. The jackal and robotic fox prepare themselves for another round of fighting.  
"Looks like you want more punishment, Tails?" Silver asks.  
"I see he's brought a friend." Tadashi says, unsheathing his sword.  
"That's alright, Tadashi. I brought one, too." Tails grins, closing his eyes, summoning a sword from seemingly out of nowhere.  
The other furs stand back. Tails holds the sword firmly in his gloved paws, and he charges at Tadashi and Silver. His movements are so fast, that he is just an orange-and-white blur. He attacks and slices at over 10 times per second. Silver tries to dodge the vulpine's sword, but fails, sustaining several slashes and hits along her robotic leg and arm.

---

CHAPTER 5

"You'll pay for your insolence, you foolish fox!" Tadashi yells, charging towards Tails.  
Wesley pushes him aside to distract him. He quickly grabs a wooden branch to fend off the jackal's sword.  
"Tails! how are you holding up?" Wesley asks.  
"Not too bad..." Tails says, disabling Silver's robotic arm as she tries to punch him.  
"Tails, that is the last mistake you will do!" She yells, tripping him. Tails sees Wes push Tadashi over. The fox dives towards Tails, blocking Tadashi from punching him. This buys Tails a split-second to disable the circuitry in Silver's right leg.  
"What are you doing, you two-tailed twit?" She yells, seeing her leg and arm sparking.  
"Disabling you. Can't have you running amok, killing everyone." Tails says.  
This confuses the cyborg vixen. Her programming tells her to give no mercy, and that this may be a trick, but her organic mind tells her that Tails and his friends are good furs, and their compassion can help her. Tadashi slashes his sword towards Wes, pinning him against a tree as he drags the tip along the fox's neck.  
"I think i'll make you into a nice winter coat." He laughs, drawing a bit of blood.  
Wesley snarls, pushing sakura back, but not without injury. Tadashi's blade cuts along his chest and shoulder, causing him to bleed.  
"Tails!" He yelps for help.  
"Tails can't help you. Not in time anyway." He chuckles, going to stab Wesley.  
The fox rolls out of the way, finding his sword plunging into a tree. He turns around, pulls out his longsword and slashes towards Wes a few times, causing him a few cuts.  
"I guess I can't be your coat now." Wes chuckles, grabbing another wooden branch, blocking his sword a couple times.  
"That simply means you'll have some extra pockets." Tadashi snarls, kicking Wes to the ground.

"Wait! Where are you going now?" She asks as tails gets up, watching the swordfight between Tadashi and Wesley intensify, with his brother starting to get cut and scraped, as he loses energy.  
"Aiding my brother-in-arms." Tails replies, clutching his sword. "Hey, jackal-boy! Over here!"  
Tadashi looks towards Tails, and charges towards Tails. Their swords lock, and Tails growls, pushing sakura towards the ground, overpowering the slightly larger jackal.  
"Why not try making a coat outta me?" He yells, forcing sakura's sword out of his hands, landing on the ground a few feet away.  
Tadashi reaches for it, and starts to crawl, but Tails' blade prevents him from moving much, as Tails presses the tip into the jackal's chest.  
"Don't move. Wesley, get the sword." Tails says, watching his brother pick up the sword.  
"Silver, kill them!" Tadashi orders.  
The vixen remains still, conflicted on what she should do. She wants to kill them, as her commands order her to, but she wants to let Tails and Wesley live, becuase they have done nothing wrong.

With a brief flash, it's all over. Tails and Wesley look around, finding no trace of Tadashi and Silver.  
"Where did they go?" Wes asks.  
"I have no idea..." Tails says, looking around, noticing his brother's not holding the sword anymore.

The crystalline mirror reveals all that is going on to its creator. Ixis watches the screen intently, growing angrier and angrier.  
"ENOUGH! No more of these tricks!" Ixis yells, casting a spell.  
Silver and sakura appear on the ground of Ixis' lair, both somewhat wounded.  
"You two are failures! You could not even quell a small rebellion!" Ixis yells.  
"Sir, there was an unexpected turn of events. Miles has a brother--" Silver tries to explain.  
"I know he has a brother! You were supposed to easily kill both of them." He interrupts, and then turns to Tadashi, who is placing his sword back in its sheath.  
"You call yourself a master swordsman? You can't even slice a branch." Ixis says, before yelling at Silver, causing the robotic fox to disappear. "Now, BEGONE, Silver!"  
He watches as Tadashi tries to crawl away from him.  
"W-what are you going to do to me?" He asks, very afraid.  
"I'm giving you what you deserve, you deciever!" Ixis yells, turning sakura into a crystalline statue.

Later that afternoon, Tails packs up his goods onto the Winged Victory.  
"Tails, are you sure you can't stay?" Barby asks.  
Tails nods in reply. "Yeah. I'm sure. Besides. I have this feeling Tadashi's decided to head back towards the Great Forest, so I have to get back there."  
"I'm coming with you, Tails. I can fly while you sleep." Wesley offers.  
"Alright. Now, do you guys think you can handle things without us?" Tails inquires.  
"Yeah, we're good, but we're in your debt, Tails." Walt says, shaking his hand.  
"Before you go, Tails, you should put this jacket on, so you don't catch cold up there again." Barby says, giving him a 1940s-style bomber flyer jacket.  
Tails admires it as he puts it on.  
"Wow, nice! Thanks!" He says, hugging her.  
"You're welcome, hero." She says with a smile.  
They watch as Tails takes off in the plane, headed straight back for Knothole and the Great Forest. Soon, the plane is far out of sight, over the ocean.


	6. Chapter 6

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 12, 3241 - Tails' Adventure  
- - - - - -

Chapter 5 - Tadashi Returns (Part 2)

Tails walks back to Botany Bay after his training lesson and looks around as he enters the village, finding the Downunda freedom fighters busy at work doing repairs to the huts damaged by the previous fight.  
"Well, well... the little stud returns. Erm, where's Sakura?" Walt greets.  
"She's being tended to somewhere safe." Tails replies, giving a brief stretch of his limbs.  
"Nothing personal, mate... but I just hope to never see her again." He adds as Barby climbs out of one of the huts and soon joins up with them, carrying a small pile of clothes with her.  
"Hey Tails... I have these for you. Since your last shirt got ruined I figured these least I could do you could was replace it... and as it just so happens, we have this from the previous member of our group we lost back at Doomsday. I'm sure they'll fit you."  
Tails looks at the clothes them down at his throughly dirted up pants. "Well, good thing... these have seen better days." He adds before taking the clothing.  
Barby giggles a bit and points over to the hut she cames from. "I'm sure Walt wouldn't mind if you changed in our hut... just leave the old clothes outside and i'll wash them when I have the time."  
Walt shakes his head. "Nah... go ahead, just, you know... don't touch anything."  
Tails smirks a bit and walks away, going into the hut to change.  
Barby looks to Walt smugly, thinking his statement was rude. Walt look back and blinks.  
"What?" Walt replies a bit in confusion, flicking his ears a bit.  
While inside, Tails can't help but look around a bit... noticing their hut is quite the comfy place and notably there's what looks like an artist's rendition of Walt and Barby next to each other with a deep smile.  
Tails looks down for a moment and gives a sigh, beginning to feel a distinct loneliness, shaking his head before slipping into the outfit provided for him.  
The outfit a rather simple outfit, mainly blue in color with a soft sleeveless shirt and leather pants, buckled up neatly. Amidst it was also a new pair of boots and gloves, black in color. He slips off his old sneakers and white gloves, replacing them with the others before looking in the mirror.  
"Hey, not bad... certainly nothing fancy, but whoever this used to belong to certainly wasn't hesistant about showing himself off." He speaks before blinking to himself as he notices something, looking closer in the mirror.  
"Wow, I can't believe how much my body is changing. I know i've done quit a bit of training out in the woods in these past few years, but man... I look like i've been a martial arts expert my whole life or soemthing." He mumbles to himself as he notices his sturdy build and healthy muscle tone, his features making him look older than he really is.  
"It must be the kitsune power, it must be molding my body somehow." He adds, reaching up to rub the strange green gem-like marking that appeared on his forehead when Genra first showed him how to use his powers.  
He hmmms audibly after a moment of studying himself and turns to walk outside.

The kitsune steps outside and spies the group of furs now clustered together at the center of the bay village and walks over to join them.  
As he moves closer, he sees the jackal from the previous attack. He looks around to the others as they speak with the assailant.  
"Hey look you, we've had enough problems here already. How dare you walk back here like you own the place!" Barby points and growls accusingly to the one in question.  
The jackal smirks as he gives his reply.  
"There's no need to get your panties in a knot, i've not come here to start trouble... I am not like those idiots of Robotnik's my dear, I am a warrior of class." He says with a stuffy aire.  
"Oh yeah? Then what was all that about last week!?" Walt asks, slightly angered by the jackals tone.  
Before Tadashi can give his rebuttle, he spots Tails as he joins the crowd.  
"Your friends are quite uptight, aren't they? I guess all those years of Robotnik's mindless assaults have taken their toll on them." The jackal speaks as he crosses his arms.  
The two-tailed furrows his brow as he figures out just what's going on.  
"Err, well yes... but just how are you different anyway. You did just kind appear out of the blue last week when I already had my paws full." The kitsune speaks with a bit of a frown in his features.  
Tadashi gives a bit of a girlish giggle as he replies.  
"...and you handled it well, I could sense your fraustration but you aren't exactly dead, now are you?"  
Tadashi looks over the crowd of others and then over Tails himself, his look lingering a bit, noting their confusion.  
"Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Lord Naugus wants you dead... so rather than go on a mindless rampage I would just rather challenge you to a duel." He adds with a bit of a grin.  
"A duel?" Tails replies with the others mumbling amidst themselves.  
"Yes, a duel, away from the village where nobody else can get hurt in the wake." The jackal clarifies.  
Tails gives a skeptical look and then nods, agreeing to the terms.  
"Alright, it's nice to see a foe with a sense of taste for a change... that is... if you mean what you say."  
Tadashi gives another giggle. "My advice, don't lose, and you have nothing to worry about." He gives Tails a wink before suddenly flying backwards toward the jungle.  
Tails glances to the others as Walt speaks to him.  
"Be careful mate, i'll bet this is a trap." Walt advises him.  
The fox gives a nod before concentrating a moment, his fur beginning to give the faint glow once again before running off into the trees with great speed.  
Tails rushes through the trees, trusting his gut feeling and following the sense of thee other as he moves. It takes only a moment before he runs into a clearing, Tadashi standing there with his back to him.  
The fox skids to a halt a few feet away from him, his fur enchanted fur glittering in the afternoon sun.  
"Alright then, let's do this." Tails says as he takes a secure stance.  
Tadashi giggles a bit and turns around to face him. "What's the hurry? You don't even know the terms of this duel."  
Tails blinks a bit, not used to any kind of rules in a fight.  
The jackal suddenly pulls back his red cape and pulls free the sword from before.  
"This shall be done with swords... I sure hope you have one." Tadashi smirks.  
"No... I don't exactly even own one." Tails replies, feeling a bit discouraged then suddenly thinking of something.  
"But, I believe I can improvise." He suddenly adds.  
"Ah, so resourceful... I'm starting to like you, fox boy." He takes a stance, sword ready.  
Tails charges up his interal energies, it noticable shifting to his hands that begin to glow brightly around the gloves.  
An awkward moment of silence passes before the jackal makes a sudden lunge at Tails with the sword, the fox quickly moving out of the way.  
The fox counters with his hand, two fingers extended forward in a paw that would otherwise be a fist. The glowing finger slicing through the air from it's mystical charge, just like a blade would and catches the edge of the shoulder area of the jackal's cloak, causing a small tear.  
The jackal looks at the tear on the cloak as the finger pass through it, a bit shocked by this before making another quick angled swing of the sword.  
Tails shifts out of the way just to see another lunge coming in his direction, throwing up his paws just in time, catching the blade between them with a firm grasp.  
Tadashi growls a bit and tries to pull it away from the paws, Tails giving his best to resist, grunting a bit from the strength of the jackal.  
"You are... pretty strong for a... little guy." Tails mumbles out as he struggles to hold the blade just to feel a firm kick to his chest from the jackal, forcing him to let go of the blade.  
"I was just thinking the same." Tadashi says before giving this time a powerful swing, coming down with a woosh. The fox jumps back in suprise, narrowing missing the end of the blade which is soon impaled slightly in the ground with a loud thud.  
Tails takes the opportunity as the jackal works it loose, jabbing his charged finger toward the jackal which lands right in his upper chest.  
Tadashi cries out, reeling back with freed sword in his paw. He looks at the wound, seeing it bleeding but doesn't appear very deep. The blood from the insertion literally burning away from Tails fingers.  
The jackal suddenly pauses, giving a deep grin before making another charge, this time much faster. His body moving so fast that it creates a wind around him.  
Tails cringes at what he sees, narrowing managing to get his paws up to make a block... the force of the blade cutting right through his aura and partially into the glove.  
"Ergh!" Tails says as the sword is withdrawl, taking a moment to hold the cut paw with the other, feeling the blood flow from a shallow yet painful wound.  
"Well, i'll give you one thing foxie... had you been a few milliseconds slower, that might have taken off your head. However, if that's all the power you have... then there's no way you can beat me." Tadashi says with an evil chuckle.  
Tails shows his teeth a bit as he holds the paw and speaks to the other, just to let it fall back to it's normal position afterward.  
"Believe me, it's not going to be quite that easy." "Well now, we'll just see about that." The jackal hisses before making another lightning fast swing.  
This time Tails ducks out of the way with time to spare, giving a sweep to the legs of the other. The sweep failing to knock the other off of his feet, instead his stumbles forward.  
The fox spies the opportunity and makes one paw back to a full fist and brings a charged uppercut to the jackal, who in turn falls back, crying out.  
"Aaaugh!"  
The jackal lowers his head and begins to pant a bit, feeling over his jaw and wiping a bit of blood from it.  
"Well now, that's more like it... that one really hurt." The statement followed by another evil chuckle. Tails narrowing his eyes at the fact that he can still laugh about such a blow.  
Tadashi takes a new stance and the sword begins to glow blue just like it had the previous day.  
"Now, let's if you can handle this." As soon as the statement is finished he gives a yell and swings the sword one again, this time from a distance.  
Tails flicks his ears as the sword leaves a barely visible trail as it's swung, the force swaying the grass below. The fox suddenly cringe in pain as he feels as if the blade had actually hit him, crossing over his chest.  
The foxs looks a bit confused as the new wound has appeared, the riddle solved as he looks behind him, several trees split from their base and falling to the ground.  
"What... what in the world?" Tails mumbles out, voice trembling a bit from the new pain.  
"Oh my, and to think I held high expectations from you... your inexperience is all so obvious." Tadashi cackles out in a mocking tone.  
"What an absurd trick." The twin-tail replies through clenched teeth.  
Tails shakes off the pain of his wounds the best he can before opening his paw, the glow suddenly shifting above it as he creates another destructive energy ball like he had before.  
The jackal eyes the light pensively and hmms. The light growing bigger as he expends more of his mystic energy and suddenly cups with both paws.  
The light is suddenly bolted from the paws of the fox, charging toward the jackal with a roar. Tadashi smirks and turns enough for the light to roar past him.  
"Oh, what a predictable attack, do you actually think that... YAHHH!" His banter is suddenly broken as the balls suddenly hits him from the rear, having turned around behind him. The jackal is forced down into the dirt as the energy violently explodes, the sword dropped and skidding away from the jackal, landing near Tails as the glow from it fades.  
"Yeah, about that... an new trick of my own, I knew you would be able to dodge that easily." Tails speaks with a smirk.  
The jackal pushes himself up to the feet, a furless mark on his back and a hole in his cloak from where the energy exploded... the shock felt through his whole body.  
Tadashi begins to giggle once again and suddenly flicks the twice damaged cloak away.  
"Not bad... but i'm still not convinced. All in all, this barely even hurts... I could do this all day."  
"What!?" Tails speaks out in shock.  
Tadashi notes the shock in the other's features and just shakes his head.  
"Look foxie, enough childsplay. I know damn well that you're holding back, I noticed from my senses last week that you are more powerful than this. So lets see you apply these skills of yours at your best so that we can bring this to a close."  
The fox ponders this for a moment and thinks to himself. 'He knows about my super form... but I didn't even know how to tap it then. I wonder else he's been able to sense'  
Tails goes back to a more idle stance and looks the jackal in the eyes.  
"Very well then, have it your way." He speaks as he tenses his body and closes his eyes, growling a bit almost instinctively as he struggles to bring forth the idle powers within him, just like he had done before at the training session.  
The fox's fur begins glow brighter as the power within his power increases, the jackal able to feel all of the changes, watching with great anticipation.  
The power starts to flow much greater and more fluidly from his body as it grows before it suddenly explodes, giving a slight roar and moving dirt and debrit around the fox as it comes forth. His fur beginning to stand on end and glowing brightly.  
The fox begins to shout out as the warmth and feeling of life greatly increases as he ascends in form.  
"It's... it's unbelievable, it's even more than I sensed." The jackal mumbles in mixed exitment and fear.  
The wind sturred from his power increases causing the trees several yards behind them to sway as if hit by a gail wind, before Tails relaxes his body again and opens his eyes, now having a glow themselves.  
'This might have been a bad idea, but it doesn't make sense... how can something so young hold that much power, he is definately some incarnation of kitsune.' Tadashi thinks, a bit of sweat forming upon his brow.  
"Well now, i'm ready... let's get this over with!" Tails takes a stance again, feeling all the more confident as the power gives him warmth.  
The jackal suddenly charges, unnerved that his aura became so strong.  
He leaps up and gives a flying kick toward Tails face, which is quickly intercepted, moving swiftly and snatching the other's leg from midair and proceeding to fling the jackal into the ground behind him, his face hitting the dirt hard enough to make a crater and skid a foot.  
Tadashi shakes a bit and presses himself up from the dirt, his face now cut in several places. He pants a moment and suddenly leaps high into the air, landing back in his previous spot and holds out his arm toward the sword, which flies back up into his paw and glow once again.  
"My face... my beautiful face! You are going to pay for that!" He suddenly gives another swing of the sword, the phantom wave rushing forward the small space between them. A bit of a static sizzle heard as Tail's aura totally absorbed the energy.  
His growls a bit in fraustration, feeling the blood trickle down his muzzle as he holds his sword out, making an energy charged rush as fast as he can, creating a wind that traces his direction.  
The fox grasps out at the last moment, actually cupping the jackal's neck and bringing his rush to a halt, body extended out just enough to feel only the very tip of the sword brushing through his fur and just before his flesh.  
"Is this what you really wanted, to see my power!? I know what you were thinking, you were thinking that you still had the upper edge and that taking me down would be easy. Naugus has made you strong, but if you intend to destroy someone destined to be a guardian to this planet... think again."  
Tails rants out as he holds Tadashi prisoner in a brightly charged paw, giving his neck a squeeze. The jackal grunting and choking as he forms a broken reply.  
"You... are merely lucky... you have... no idea what... you're up ag-against. Naugus... could still... break you... so easily. You are... far too... inexperienced and weak to beat... him now that... he has become... the true... lord of the Void."  
Tadashi coughs as wiggles as he's held, the force of the hold causing him to drop the sword once again.  
Tails narrows his eyes a bit as he ponders what he just said.  
"Maybe so... but as long as he intends harm to my friends, we will find a way to beat him! I will NEVER forgive Robotnik and Naugus for what they've done!"  
Tails charges up another ball of energy in the other paw, this one growing much faster and becoming more powerful, flickers of lightning like disturbance around it.  
"Tell that ridiculous wizard to stay in the void and never send his puppets to threaten the world again... and as for this duel... it's over, you lose."  
He thrusts the ball of energy against Tadashi's stomach at point blank range, letting go of the creatures neck and bracing for the backlash from the explosion as he releases it.  
Tadashi cries out in pain as he is blown all the way across the clearing and lands, skidding and hitting his head against a tree.  
The jackal lays panting and cringing from the incredible stinging sensation through his body from the energy blow. Wordlessly laying there as he revels in his defeat.

From the Void, Naugus has watched the fight in the crystalline mirror and has become incredibly angry at the outcome.  
"What!? ...how can this be? This wretched kitsune has already better learned to tap his powers!" He says with a sneer before sending a telepathic message to Tadashi from his place in the void.  
"You miserable furball, you have failed me! How dare you coax him to draw out his power when you had the foresite to know that he might be able to overpower you, i'm bringing you into the void for a fitting punshiment!" The angry tone of the wizard echoing in his head.  
The jackal appears next to the wizard who immediately turn to him and scowls.  
"Please, master, please forgive me... I didn't honestly think..." He whimpers, steeping backward with ears lowered.  
"W-what are you going to do to me?" He asks, trembiling a bit.  
"Fool, I am going to give you what you deserve!" He motions with his normal hand and Tadashi is suddenly totally encased in crystal, a terrified look etched in his features.  
"It looks like i'm going to have to take care of that overpowered mobian myself ...and then, the quickster and the rest of them will be mine to use however I see fit." He grumbles as he begins to form a plan.

Later that afternoon, Tails packs up his goods onto the Winged Victory. Bandaged up beneath a new shirt and glove upon the previously damaged paw, the wounds still a bit sore but healing abnormally quickly.  
"Tails, are you sure you can't stay?" Barby asks.  
Tails nods in reply. "Yeah. I'm sure. If such powerful foes were sent here to get me, there's a chance Sonic and the knothole freedom fighters might have a similar predicament and I can't afford to sit around while they may be in trouble. Sonic can take care of himself well... but these guys are tougher than anything they've encountered before."  
"Alright. Now, do you guys think you can handle things without us?" Tails pauses as he finishes his loading, inquiring.  
"Yeah, we're good, but we're in your debt, Tails. Next time we'll be better prepared if something like that shows up." Walt says, shaking his hand.  
"Before you go, Tails, you should put this jacket on, so you don't catch cold up there." Barby says, giving him a 1940s-style bomber flyer jacket.  
Tails admires it as he puts it on.  
"Wow, nice! Fits great. Oh, and thanks for everything." He says, hugging her.  
"You're welcome. You're nothing short of a hero and you have definately earned your place amoungst the Downunda Freedom fighters." She says with a smile.  
"Definately, mate. You come back soon, alright?" Walt says with an equal smile.  
They watch as Tails takes off in the plane, headed straight back for Knothole and the Great Forest. Soon, the plane is far out of sight, over the ocean.


	7. Chapter 7

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 12, 3241 - After Tails' Adventure (Reign of the False King)  
- - - - - -

Chapter 6 - The False King

A few hours later, the enslaved Robotnik is seeing working at a special workstation, a few mobian-sized capsules around him One is broken, the glass shattered that held the occupant, the second is empty, but third has what appears to be a black-furred fox suspended in fluid and wired up to life support.  
Suddenly an image of Naugus appears just behind the doctor, his voice speaking echoing forth.  
"Julian, what is the status on your latest projects." The familiar voice echoes out.  
Robotnik turns and half-bows.  
"Master Naugus, I am proud to report that my new cyborg implementations are almost done." He adds as he looks down to the image.  
"Excellent... as i'm sure you know by now, your previous project failed... and so has my Tadashi." The wizard speaks with a distateful tone.  
"Yes master, however the data collection module on Sakura transmitted some rather interesting data. Thanks to the new information, my latest work is already holding three times more power than Sakura."  
"Very good, round one... and what of the project I ordered from you?" The demeanor of the wizard taking on more of a grin.  
"I am working on it at this very moment, your excellency." He offers with a bow of his head.  
"Continue working on it. For now, prepare Onyx for release." The wizard orders.  
Robotnik gives another half-bow before replying.  
"Consider it done." The doctor mutters.  
Meanwhile in the void Naugus and Snively set their own next plan into action.  
"Sir, I thought you wanted the emerald. It could be used as an infinte power source." Snively says, closely looking over the crystalline statue of Tadashi the Jackal.  
"Snively. The emerald will possess anyone who intends to use it for evil purposes. I will use that weasel-wolf as a puppet, so I won't be affected. He will do my bidding, and once he overthrows Mobotropolis, we can finally escape this void, and return to Mobius." He explains.  
"Now, watch my new minion, Snively." He says, looking into the special mirror.  
"Nack! Wake up!" He sends telepathically.  
Nack wakes up, shaking his head.  
"Who? What?" He mutters.  
"I am Ixis Naugus. Do you have the emerald?"  
"Yeah, maybe I do. What's it to ya?" He asks.  
"How would you like to become extremely rich and extremely powerful?"  
"I'd like that a lot. What do I have to do?" The weasel-wolf asks, very eager to make his move.  
"Overthrow the King. I'll guide you." He says.  
"Overthrow the-- wait..." Nack says, but is interrupted as Ixis takes control of the chip attatched to Nack's ear.  
The Weasel obeys Ixis' orders as he packs up, getting the emerald, walking towards Knothole Village.

"Alright, ya mangy furballs, get up!" Nack yells into his hangout as he walks through the door.  
Konor wakes up and falls off the couch he's sleeping on.  
"W-w-what's goin' on, boss?" The grey weasel asks as he gets up, grabbing his hat.  
Jeff and Karl wake up in their bunks, with Karl on the top bunk, and Jeff on the bottom.  
"What's the big deal, Nack? It's the middle of the night!" Karl says, somewhat annoyed of being woken up with the moon high in the sky.  
"Boys, we've been thinkin' too small all this time. All this time, we've been trying to get rich by robbin' banks, and stealin' from people as they walk by. Well, those days are long gone." He snickers.  
The three other weasel brothers are confused from what their sibling is talking about.  
"Uh, bro... you feelin' alright?" Konor asks Nack, noticing he looks somewhat different.  
"Yeah. What's it to ya?" He snaps back. "Now, get your stuff together we're gonna overthrow King Acorn, and make Mobius *ours*."  
The weasel begins packing a backpack of goods.  
Jeff and Konor look at each other as they gather their goods.  
"I think Nack here's gone off the deep end." Konor whispers to Jeff.  
"You're right. But still, when's the last time we did something this fun?" The bearded weasel says to his twin brother.  
Karl gets his black handguns ready.  
"How do you expect us to overthrow the King? He probably has those Freedom Fighters guarding him." The red-furred weasel asks.  
"Simple, Karl. With this..." he says, reaching into his backpack, showing them the large Master Emerald.  
"Oh my god! How'd you get THAT???" Jeff and Karl ask.  
Konor simply stares at it in amazement, surprised Nack was able to get it.  
"That's my little secret." Nack grins.  
"If you boys help me, I'll split the profits I make on this with ya." He continues, grinning.  
His fangs are visible, gleaming in the dim moonlight.  
"Count us in!" Konor says, getting his backpack on.  
"Then let's go! Time's our ally, but we dont' have much of it." Nack says, walking out of their hangout with his three brothers, and into the Great Forest.  
"Look out, King Acorn, 'cause here we come." He chuckles, whispering to himself.

Knuckles closes his eyes, trying to sense the emerald. He can see the forest in his mind, he can also see the Master Emerald in his mind.  
"Where are you? Who has taken you?" He thinks to himself.  
He sees flashes of Nack running through the forest with his brothers, carrying the emerald in their backpack. Knuckles sits down into a meditating position, with his palms together, eyes still closed.  
"The forest... headed towards a small village..." He says to himself, opening his eyes again.  
"Time to stop these jewel thieves." He punches one fist into his other palm.  
He gets up and takes off, heading off in the direction of the emerald.

Sakura suddenly stirs as she opens her eyes, the cybernetic parts coming online as well.  
She sits up and looks around, see the rather cozy yet simple den of Genra.  
"Where am I?" She asks, feeling a bit dazed.  
She clambers to her feet and walks around a bit, looking for some sign of another around.  
"Hello? Any one here?" She calls out, beginning to walk to the door as a voice suddenly replies.  
"What's the hurry?" A masculine voice calls behind her. Belonging to none other than Wesely.  
The half-robotic fox turns around to see the source, before speaking.  
"Oh, who are you?" She asks.  
"I am Wesley Prower, older brother to Miles Prower, who is the one referred to as Tails... you can call me Wes." He adds before taking a seat onto the floor in front of a short table.  
"It's nice to see you about, I was starting to worry." He adds.  
Sakura shakes her head. "How long was I out?" She asks.  
"A little over a week, in Mobian time." "What? A week!?" She calls out in suprise.  
The two looks to each other in a moment of awkward silence before it's broken once again.  
"Well, this just means I need to get going... I've got to find out what's going on out there now." She adds turning toward the door again.  
Wesley nods and sips on a cup of tea.  
"Well I can tell you the gist of it. Tadashi showed back up yesterday and challenged Tails to a duel." The kitsune adds.  
Sakura perks her ears and looks back to him.  
"Is Tails alright?" She asks with a bit of concern.  
"He is, he won the duel... now he is headed back to his homeland as we speak." He adds, noticing her apparent concern.  
She turns around again and asks. "Where is that?"  
Wesley ponders a moment, knowing that he can't really just say where the Knothole is, nor does he actually know which place his brother is going.  
"Honestly, I don't know specifically... but if anything, its the Great Forest." He replies.  
Sakura nods and turns back to the door, opening it and giving one last statement before closing it behind her.  
"Thank you, Wes."

Antoine is asleep at the guard post, but the sounds of footsteps awaken him. He looks down from the gate, seeing a weasel approaching.  
"Halt! Who are you? What do you want in Knothole?" Antoine asks, holding his rapier.  
"Heh. Relax. I'm a freedom fighter. I even brought a little gift for Princess Sally and Sonic." the hypnotized Nack replies, completely beyond his own control, but having a bad feeling over what is about to happen.  
"Un moment, please." Antoine says as he walks back towards the gate.  
The french coyote walks the short distance back into Knothole Village and knocks on Sonic's hut.  
"Soneek! We have a visitaire." He says, in his traditionally heavy French accent.  
Sonic wakes up, as it's now twilight, almost morning.  
"Ant, this had better be good." Sonic replies as he walks out of the hut, rubbing an eye from fatigue.  
"Someone is at the gates, saying zey have brought a gift for you, and for ze freedom fighters." He explains.  
"Hmm. I don't trust this." Sonic says, walking with Antoine.  
They approach the gate, seeing the weasel-wolf sitting against the tree.  
"Heya, the name's Nack the Weasel, but my brothers call me 'Fang the Sniper'." He grins, holding out his hand to shake Sonic's.  
The hedgehog is very suspicious, and thinks this could be a trap.  
"Sorry if I'm not that open, man, but I'm not your bro, and neither is Antoine." He tells the weasel-wolf.  
"Fair enough, because these guys are." Nack laughs as his weasel brothers jump down from the trees.  
Sonic and Antoine stand back-to-back to defend each other.  
"Zees weasels... zey have guns, Soneek. We are outgunned. Should we surrender?" Antoine asks.  
"I can handle a handgun, Antoine." Sonic smirks.

"Now, y'all can just surrender, or, I can let my weasel brothers take care of ya." He says, but then pauses.  
"Wait, where are my manners?" He asks himself, taking off his Stetson hat. "Let me introduce my brothers." He says, standing aside.  
"We're the Fanged Felons. Jeff, Konor, and Karl." Nack introduces his family.  
"Thanks, but we don't intend on staying at this family reunion." Sonic replies, kicking Konor's gun out of his hand.  
However, Konor is quickly on his tail and pins sonic to the ground, picking up the gun and placing it agianst his head.  
"Boy, you just don't learn, now do ya?" The grey-furred weasel-wolf taunts sonic.  
"Wh-wh-what do you want?" Antoine asks Jeff, who has cornered him with Nack, both facing him.  
"We want in to Knothole Village." Konor says, taking Antoine's rapier from his hands, examining it.  
"Say, this is pretty nice. I bet I could pawn it for a mint." The grey-furred weasel chuckles.  
"Excuse-moi, but zat is my sword. It was given to me by ze military." Antoine says.  
"Well, then, the military will give you another one as soon as you march us to Knothole, army-boy." Konor tells the French coyote as he pushes the gun into Antoine's back.  
"MARCH!" He growls, as Nack and Karl force Sonic to his feet.  
"All the speed in the world can't save you now, little boy blue." Nack says to him, as they walk into Knothole Village.  
They soon stop in the meadow in the center of the village.  
"Alright, people. wake up!" Nack yells.  
Bunnie wakes up, somewhat annoyed.  
"What on earth is goin' on out there?" She asks herself as she looks out the door.  
"Somethin' yer gonna get used to awful fast." Karl says, holding a gun in his hand. "Now, get yer friends up. Let 'em know the Fanged Felons have arrived."  
"Why, what awful, rude manners y'all have!" Bunnie says, not amused from the laughing weasel.  
She transforms her hand into a blaster to defend herself. The grey-furred weasel grasps Bunnie's robotic hand.  
"Don't make me hurt you, beautiful. 'Cause I hope I don't have to." He mocks her, keeping his gun aimed at her.  
"Alright, don't get your fur ruffled..." Bunnie mutters, following the weasel, now as a prisoner-of-war.  
"I swear, if you hurt Bunnie, I'll... I'll... I don't even know what i'll do...." Antoine snarls at Nack and his weasel brothers.  
"Relax, Frenchie. We're not gonna hurt your girl." He snickers.  
Karl brings Bunnie to his partners-in-crime.  
Sally and Rotor are in the walrus' workship, studying the plans for Mobotropolis.  
"You know, Sally... It's very quiet out there." He says, looking out over his shoulder, towards the window.  
"Too quiet." She finishes his sentance.  
"Sonic and Antoine have been gone for a very long time, too. I think something's happened." She says.  
"Something *has* happened." A voice says.  
Rotor looks around with Sally for a second, then they find the source of the voice, standing at the door. It's Jeff.  
"Now, why don't you two come with me? I have someone who wants to meet ya." He says. Rotor goes into a defensive stance to defend himself.  
"What do you want? How did you get here? Who are you?" He asks.  
The weasel starts to walk closer.  
"Well, tusky, I'm Jeff the Weasel, of the Fanged Felons. My boss wants me to bring you and princess buttercup here, to 'im." He holds his gun closely on his belt. "And your boss is...?" Rotor asks.  
"The craftiest son-of-a-gun in the Great Forest, of course. Oh, and your new King." Jeff replies.  
"You wish." Sally replies, taking NICOLE out of her pocket. "NICOLE, defense mode." She says.  
"So you have a nice little computer. I bet Nack ought to enjoy playing Solitaire on that thing..." He grins, reaching for it.  
"Touch it, and you'll wish you didn't." Sally says to him.  
"Ooooh. I'm afraid of a princess and her PDA..." He laughs, before grasping it, and getting a nasty electrical shock.  
His grey fur frizzes and stands on end. He coughs once.  
"No more of that. GET OUT NOW!" Jeff snarls, taking out his gun, aiming it at Rotor. "Don't make me shoot you."  
"Let's not be hasty --" Sally speaks, but is cut off.  
"Man you two are disobediant!" He turns his head to Sally as he speaks, pulling the trigger, shooting the ceiling.  
This startles Sally and Rotor.  
"Do I really hafta try that again?" Jeff asks them.  
They shake their heads.  
"Good. Now walk." the weasel orders, guiding them into the prison.

"Alright, that's the last of the furs in Knothole Village, Nack. All are accounted for, including His Higness himself, King Maximillian Acorn." Konor says, checking off the list of "prisoners", while walking down the jail block at the small Knothole Jail, where the cells are full of occupants.  
"Let us out of here at ONCE, you barbarians!" King Max snarls, holding the bars firmly in his grasp.  
"Old man, you don't frighten me. I even gave your valuable Sword of Acorns to Nack as a gift. Spoils go to the victors, ya know?" Karl says to the growling monarch.  
"You'll hang for treason." He speaks calmly as the weasel then turns to Nack.  
"Yeah, maybe... if you ever get outta here, that is..." Karl replies, before bumping into Nack.  
"Watch where you're going, Karl. And have you seen Jeff?" He asks.  
"Nah. He went to get the Princess and that fat guy, but he hasn't returned yet. I checked 'em off becuase I thought that would count." He shrugs.  
"You moron. Only check off the people that are in the cells!" Nack says.  
They hear a gunshot piercing the silence of the small forest community.  
"Great! Jeff! I'm comin'!" Nack says, running out the door of the Jail.  
He runs quickly across the clearing in the village towards Rotor's workshop, seeing Rotor cluching his hat, with Sally trying to help him, and Jeff holding the smoking gun towards the ground, but facing them, with a smirk.  
"Do I really hafta try that again?" He asks.  
"No, but you had better work on rounding up prisoners." Nack says as he walks in.  
"YOU! I should have known!" Sally says, standing up with Rotor.  
"Listen here, princess. You're not royalty no more. I am. Your daddy's in jail, and you're gonna be, too. Now, march or you'll wind up with a couple bullet holes in ya." Nack explains, walking them out the door with Jeff.  
They walk into the Knothole Jail, and they place Rotor and Sally in the same cell as Sonic and Antoine.  
"Sonic! You're safe!" Sally says, hugging her hero.  
"I'd never let them hurt you, or me, Sal. Don't worry." He replies.  
"Awww, ain't that nice?" Konor snickers as he paces the hallway.  
Sonic growls and tries to buzz-saw his way out of the cell, but the bars don't even bend or cut.  
"Go ahead and try to escape. You can't." He watches, laughing as Sonic exhausts himself on his futile escape attempts. The blue hedgehog pants, on his hands and knees, sweating somewhat.  
"I'm gonna escape, weaselboy. You watch." He pants. Sally and Bunnie help the blue-furred hedgehog up.  
"Sonic, are they going to execute us?" She asks him.  
He leans against the wall. "I doubt it. These guys are just petty thugs. At least, they used to be..."  
Bunnie walks up to the bars.  
"Whut do y'all call yerselves?" Bunnie asks.  
Konor turns around and faces Bunnie, very confused from her question. "You want to know our names?"  
"Yeah... but ah also wanna know what you call yourselves as a gang." She replies.  
The weasel nods.  
"We're the Fanged Felons." He smirks, leaning against the bars of King Acorn's cell. The weasel then laughs "I'm Connor... and Maxie here is gonna be our personal servant."  
Sally whispers to NICOLE "do a scan on the Fanged Felons."  
"Scanning, Sally." The computerized assistant replies. "The Fanged Felons are a gang of thugs from the west side of Mobotropolis. Led by their oldest brother, Nackery Weasel, commonly known as Nack, or Fang the Sniper, they try to further their goals and dreams of becoming rich by robbing banks and people as they walk down paths. Nack is a very skilled thief and gunman, and his brothers, when all together, are a force to be reckoned with, much like their occasional allies, the Nasty Hyenas."  
"Thanks, NICOLE. However, this does not explain why these gang members would suddenly want to imprison the king." Sally says.  
"Perhaps zees weasels are just puppets on ze string, no?" Antoine shrugs, sitting across the hall from them in the cell with King Max.  
"Antoine, don't be silly. These guys are reckless and dangerous. You'd need to be extremely brave, skilled, and powerful to use these guys as pawns." Bunnie replies.  
Sonic simply thinks this over as he listens.  
"Well, we haven't heard from Snively or Robotnik in what? 8 years? those guys are probably dead and gone, so it can't be them." Rotor tells Antoine and sally from his cell.  
Konor starts to sweat from overhearing the conversation. He fears that they may learn the secret of what's going on, and he's particularly afraid of the wrath of Nack coming down on him for letting them find out.  
"Alright, you guys, be quiet! Stop talkin'!" He yells, not wanting them to figure out who's in charge of this master plan.  
"What do you intend to do to us, weasel? We're already imprisoned." King max says calmly.  
"I'll get my boss. Unlike me, he doesn't listen to reason." Konor says, walking off.  
"Ixis." Sonic says to himself, barely audible.  
"Say that again, Sonic." Sally asks.  
"It's Ixis Naugus. He's the one pulling all the strings here." Sonic says.  
"But how?" Bunnie asks.  
"He's doing it through others he's possessing from the Void. He instructs them through dreams, or outright possesses them. It's the only way he can have any influence from the Void. It's like he's using people as radio-controlled servants. He said that he would eventually gain this capability." King Max replies.  
"Boss, what's gotten into ya? Lately, you've been acting really strange..." Jeff asks Nack, who has been acting somewhat unusual.  
"Whaddaya mean? Thinkin' big's against the law now?" He growls as he sits on the royal throne. "Maybe you should be in the jail along with those Freedom fighters for treason. I don't want anyone interfering with Ix-- er, MY plans."  
"Look at his eyes... they're very blood-shot... and what's with that thing on his ear? This isn't the Nack I know. He's just a small-time petty thug... not a rebel against the crown..." Jeff thinks to himself.  
"Ya have somethin' on yer ear..." Jeff says, and goes to dust it off with his hand, when Nack pushes his hand away in anger.  
"Don't you dare touch me again. If you do, I will throw you into the Void myself. Do you understand?" He growls, pulling his knife out, pressing it against his brother's throat.  
"Y-yes, boss..." Jeff says, slightly surprised from Nack's increasingly erratic behaviour, and deathly afraid of the Void. He backs away slowly, now knowing something's up. Nack quickly regains his senses.  
"Jeff, ya look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong with ya?" He asks, somewhat suspicious, and completely unknowing of his actions a second ago.  
"I'm only shaken from ya pullin' yer knife on me! You wanna toss me into the Void? Bro, what are you even talking about?" He asks.  
"Nah, but maybe this was too big of a job for us to handle. It's probably stress..." He shrugs.  
"Stress? Yeah, well, get yourself back under control." He says, walking out of the building, leaving a very confused Nackery standing there, scratching his head.

Dawn breaks over the Great Forest, eliminating the last traces of darkness and twilight that may still linger. However, the forest is silent, aside from the rustling of leaves in the trees. That silence is broken soon enough by the droning of an engine. An engine that powers a biplane.  
The biplane hums well over the tree tops as the Knothole Village comes into view. Tails giving a smile as a feeling of relief washes over him.  
"Home sweet home, I can't wait to see my friends again!" He adds before finding the clearing he had made to land the plane just outside of the village. He brings the plane down, touching down onto the grass and bringing the vehicle to a halt.  
He shuts down the plane, grabs his backpack of things and walks toward the village, just to soon pause and look around around.  
"Something doesn't seem right here, I know it's early but they had to have heard the plane... yet it's so quiet." He mumbles to himself before feeling something in his senses.  
"I feel it now, there's something evil at work here." He blinks a bit as he hears a few others coming. He decides that it's not worth taking the chance and powers up slightly, making a quick sprint to the far side of a hut, still able to see his plane.  
He sees two weasels with guns come up to the plane, looking around suspiciously.  
"Hmm, as much as I should try to lay low, i've gotta find out what's going on here." He lets the power within fade again so as to appear normal.  
He walks up slowly ending up just behind the weasels as they speculate who just flew in.  
"Looking for someone?" Tails calls out from behind them.  
The weasel brother are a bit startled as they turn around quickly, guns in hand.  
"Hey, looks we have a stray." Jeff says with a smirk.  
"Alright kiddo, time for you to rejoin your friends in the slammer." Karl points the gun at Tails.  
Tails just looks to them with a confident smirk, his tails twiching about behind him as he plots a plan.  
He gives a mock sigh of defeat and nods.  
"Alright, i'll go." He says, dropping his backpack from his shoulders.  
The brothers blinks and look to each other in suprise before chuckling.  
"Finally, someone with enough sense around here to cooperate... MARCH!" Jeff says with gun pointed, leading Tails toward the jail, Karl just behind.  
The weasels march Tails to the prison, where they meet up with Connor who's been watching over the inmates to ensure nothing problematic happens.  
"Here's another one, this one just flew in on some kind of plane." Karl explains.  
Connor looks down at the list and then to Tails.  
"Ah, perfect... that's all of them boys. Looks like we'll be celebrating heartily tonight." Connor says with a snicker.  
Jeff takes Tails' arm and opens an empty jail cell, next to the one that holds Sonic and Sally, pushing him in before crashing the cell door shut.  
"Alright, get back to your posts and watch for any intruders... we certainly don't want Nack angry... not with the way he's been acting lately." Connor adds, waving the other two off which turn and head outside.  
The four in the next cell talk amoungst themselves before Sonic comes up to the bars, whispering over to the other cell.  
"Tails, is that you bro?" Sonic calls out quietly, catching the foxes attention.  
"Yeah, it's me... I cut my voyage short, there's trouble brewing, as you can tell." He replies.  
"Man, we gotta break out of this place... but the bars are so tough I can't even spin through them." He says, tapping his foot as he thinks.  
"Don't worry, Sonic. Even though I wasn't gone long, a lot happened... I've learned a few new things that will get out out of here no problem." He speaks quietly, which catches Connor's attention.  
"Hey, shut up over there! Your schemeing won't do a thing, you're prisoners here as long as Nack says you are." He calls out.  
Tails steps back a bit and begins to charge himself up again, pointing a finger at the locking mechanism of the door and letting loose an explosive charge which proceeds to shatter the lock to pieces.  
"What was that?" Connor turns and sees the glowing fox stepping free from the cell.  
"Don't move! I don't know how you did that but i'm going fill you full of holes if you take another step!" He clenches his teeth holding the gun towards the fox.  
Tails looks the weasel in the eyes before giving a bit of a grin. The weasel quirking his brow just before Tails makes a sonic dash, barrying his fist into the gut of Connor.  
The weasel crys out and doubles over in pain. Tails does similar charged blast to the locks of the two other jail doors, the freedom fighters quickly moving out of the cells.  
"Way past cool, bro!" Sonic calls out and gives him him hi-five.  
"Vat in zee world jest happened?" Antoine asks, scratching his head in confusion.  
"I wish I knew, but whatever he did, we're free now." Sally replies.  
King Acorn steps out and gives Sally a hug before looking to Tails.  
"My gratitude, young Tails." He offers with a nod of head.  
Tails glances outside as he speaks.  
"No time for that now... we still have a throne hijacker and his petty thugs to deal with." He calls out, as he silently feels out with his sense, noticing some kind of significant power source coming from the makeshift throne room.  
"Yeah, time to give them a thing or two." Sonic says, gesturing confidently.  
Before Sonic has a chance to run off, Tails speaks up again.  
"You guys will have to deal with the other two, meet up with me in the throne room... I have a bone to pick with the false king." He says says darkly before opening the door and bolting out of the jail with enhanced speed.  
"Hey, wait just a--" Sally says before getting cut off by Tails sudden leave.  
"Well, he shore does seem to have everythin' unda control, sugah." Bunnie comments softly, as shocked as the rest of them with the twin-tailed ones enthusiasm.  
"Don't worry about him, Sal. He knows what he's doing... I hope." Sonic replies before spinning up and shooting out of the jail, the others running out afterward.  
The figure sits on the throne as if he was born for it. He sits in the shadows, with only his outline, eyes, and nose visible.  
Nack blinks as he hears some noise outside of the throne room and stands up, just in time to hear a loud crash, the large doors to the room opening, leaving Tails visible in the doorway as he slowly walks inward.  
"What, who let you out of your cell?" Nack calls out in anger.  
"I did, it's kind of stuffy in there... so I figure i'd take a walk." Tails says mockingly as he stops a few feet from the weasel.  
"Don't bullshit me, kid. With an attitude like that the only thing you're goign to walk into is a casket." He places his paw on the holster of his gun.  
Just as he does so, he can hear Ixis in his head.  
"Don't bother with the gun, you can't beat him that way... you must use the emerald." The wizards voices echoes from within.  
"What, why not?" Nack says aloud, Tails quirking a brow as he speaks to no one in particular.  
The weasel removes his hand from the holster and looks over to his napsack near the throne before picking it up with a paw.  
"The wizard seems to think you're some kind of super mobian, so, let me introduce you to something." Nack hisses out.  
Tails crosses his arms as Nack talks and reaching in, pulling out a very large gem.  
"What? That's a chaos emerald... No, it's the master emerald! How in the world did you get that!?" Tails calls out in shock.  
Nack laughs as he clutches the faintly glowing rock.  
"That guardian was quite a pushover, one bullet and he falls to the ground like a baby." Nack stares into the gem.  
"Impossible... but, it must be true if you have that." Tails frowns deeply as he stands.  
An awkward silence falls over the room before Nack gives an insidious laughter.  
"Listen you, i'm only giving you one chance... hand over the crown peacefully to it's rightful owner and nobody gets hurt." Tails calls out.  
"Idiot, you're in no position to threaten me!" Nack suddenly grasps the emerald a bit harder, feeling the power begin to soar through his body.  
"Naugus has really gotten you in a heap of trouble, if you even try to tap the power of that emerald, it would destroy your body." Tails points out with a smirk.  
"Heh heh, I don't need all of it, just a sip to take care of you and your friends." He reaches up, taking off his stetson and resting it on the arm of the chair before focuses on the emerald, beginning to unlock the power.  
The walls around them shake, Nack giving a maniacal laughter as the power explodes within him, evolving him into a super form.  
Sonic suddenly bolts in and skids to a stop, looking to Tails and then marveling at the happenings near the throne.  
"Man, what's going on... I felt the whole place shake." Sonic says in confusion.  
"This is going to get really ugly Sonic, that weasel has the master emerald." Tails says, looking to him from the corner of his eyes.  
"What, no way!!" Sonic nearly jumps in fright.  
The weasel grins at them as he steps down from the throne, encompassed in a brightly glowing aura.  
"Master emerald or not, you're going down fang face!" Sonic says as he spins up for a dash.  
"No, Sonic, don't!" Tails calls out to late as the spinning ball of hedgehog hurls himself toward the glowing weasel, who merely swats him away, launching him through one of the big windows with a crash.  
"Sonic!!" Tails clenches his teeth and begins to power up.  
"You are so going to pay for that... you may be strong with that emerald in your paw, but mark my words, it's not going to be in your grasp much longer." Tails as well explodes in a furious aura as he too becomes super form.  
Tails makes a sonic dash toward Nack with a punch, which Nack successfuly blocks. He throwing several more within a second, all of which he blocks, grabbing Tails fist with his last attempt, which startles Tails just long enough for Nack to get a powerful jab out across Tails muzzle.  
Tails attempts to pull the captive paw free before giving another punch to the face of Nack in which he also captures the fist.  
"I've got you now." Nack speaks with a grin.  
"No you don't!" Tails growls back, using the leverage caused by the captive paws to pull his feet out from under him, supporting his weight with his tails as he delivers a bone shattering double kick to Nack's gut.  
"Gaaahhh!!" Nack crys out as he's pushed back by the kick.  
The fox quickly regains his composure as he careful watches the weasel, who quickly regains his foot and returns a stare of his own.  
The two stare each other down for a moment, the glowing figures glistening faintly off of the walls of the highly decorated room.  
Outside Sally runs over, seeing Sonic down on the ground. She kneels down beside the hedgehog who sits up with a slight groan, cut in several place from the contact with the glass.  
"Sonic, are you okay?" She says with great concern. Sonic stands up slowly.  
"I think so... but I can't believe that just happened. I think we're in real trouble Sal." He says, looking up to the broken window.  
Suddenly several loud crashes happens above, this time the glowing weasel flys out of the window and into a cluster of trees with a loud crash and cloud of dust.  
"Woah, was that Tails!?" Sonic looks over.  
"No, that was that weasel!" Sally corrects, looking over as well as Tails suddenly lands next to them, still glowing vividly in super form.  
"Sonic, you okay?" Tails says, glancing over to the two.  
"I think so, but man, my entire body hurts." Sonic, wincing a bit from the pain.  
"I'll take him to get some first aid, I hope you'll be alright Tails." She says before taking Sonic along, limping slowly.  
"Now, where did emerald snatcher go?" Tails speaks to himself as he walks into the trees.  
Tails carefully surveys around him as he walks amoungst the tall trees of where the weasel landed.  
"Come out, come out wherever you are... you can't hide forever, Nack." He calls out.  
He takes a few more steps, noting some damaged trees before the weasel suddenly jumps up behind him, pouncing him and knocking him harshly into the dirt.  
Nack cradles his head in a sleeper hold, the foxes arms held under the weasels knees as he puts on the pressure. Tails cringing in pain as the weasel holds the tight hold.  
"Lets see you get out of this one, mister magic fox." Tails struggles a bit more and suddenly gets an idea, he lifts his tails and clasps them around the weasel's throat.  
The applied pressure upon the other's neck gradually loosening his grip. It's not that he realises the arm holding his head in the paw in which the emerald is held. He uses the distraction as a chance to work his muzzle loose and give a firm chomp into the weasel's arm.  
Nack yelps and suddenly releases the emerald almost instinctly, the large gem landing firmly on the ground.  
The fox begins to spin his twin tails and the weasel along with it, spinning him at an incredible rate of speed before launching him back toward the castle, where he impacts into the wall with a crash, dislodging several of the bricks and effectively knocking him unconcious without the power boost from the emerald, the weasels glow fading away as his senses do.  
Tails breathes a sigh of relief and stands up, brushing the dirt from his clothing before he reaches down, taking the gem into his gloved paw.  
He admires it for a moment before letting his own aura fade turning, walking back to the castle wall and picking up the downed weasel by the collar, soon walking off to the center of the village, gem and weasel in hand.  
In the center of the village Rotor, Antoine and Bunnie are gathered withthe three other fanged felons who are also unconcious and tied up.  
"Here's the last one of the collection." Tails says as he tosses the weasel down next to the others.  
"Tha's great, sugah! We'll tie 'em up good an' let the king decide what we'll do with 'em." Bunnie says as she picks up the body from the ground.  
"Hey, what's that thing?" Rotor suddenly mentions, pointing out some kind of strange device on Nack's right ear. Tails moves over and dislodges it from the ear, looking at it and then handing it over to Rotor.  
"Interesting." The walrus says as he looks over it.  
"He mentioned something about 'the wizard', this likely Nagus' doing." He says as he sits down, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes.  
"Oh mah stars, why would that ol' wizard want to do such a thing?" Bunnie says in suprise.  
"I'm not certain, Bunnie... and furthermore, how is he able to do these things from inside the void?" Tails mentions, pondering the possibilities.  
"Then there's this thing, Naugus primarily uses magic, but this thing is electronic." He pauses a moment before lowering the device and looking down to the others.  
"You don't think... that 'HE'... had something to do with this." Rotor asks, a bit puzzled.  
"I sure hope not, it's been years since that ol' fatty disappered." Bunnie says, looking thoughful.  
"It doesn't necessarily have to be Robotnik. We know for certain that Snively had survived Doomsday, perhaps he is working with the wizard as well." Tails mentions before standing again.  
"Where are you goin' sugah? You're lookin' pretty tired hun." Bunnie walks up to Tails.  
"Yeah, you're right Bunnie, the journey and the fight have taken quite a bit out of me... i'll get some rest." Tails turns and begins walking off toward his hut.  
"My, that boy sure has changed, Rotor." Bunnie says softly as Tails disappers into the hut.  
"Yeah, I know Bunnie. I never thought i'd see him so brave and confident, let alone so mysteriously strong... whatever happened to him in Downunda must have been one heck of an experience."  
The robotic-appendaged rabbit nods in agreement.  
Ixis is watching everything from the Void, and he is furious.  
"How dare that little two-tailed twerp foil my plans again! This is REALLY starting to anger me!" He tells his lackey.  
Snively squeeks a bit and steps back.  
"W-what do you intend to do next, sir?"  
"The fat one has the new machine mutant I ordered him to create ready but I can not trust his creations to do my bidding. ...I have no choice, it's time to set the master plan into action."  
"The invasion, sir?" Snively clarifies.  
"Yes. Go tell the others that we are ready." He replies.  
"Very well, sir." Snively says as he walks out of their crystalline command center.  
An hour later the weasels are untied within the confines of the jail, all now concious and hurting, in more than one way.  
"Alright, Sonic, throw them in." Max says as Sonic closes a fixed and newly reinforced cell door on Nack, Konor, Karl, and Jeff, the infamous "Fanged Felons".;  
"You are hereby charged with high treason and multiple counts of attempted murder." Max tells the weasels.  
"What's gonna happen to us?" Nack asks.  
"We'll see at your trial, Mister Weasel. We may send you to the Devil's Gulag when you are found guilty." The king replies.  
"You can't do this! I was under Ixis Naugus' mind control. That no-good wizard betrayed me." Nack says.  
"That is what you get for dealing with his kind." King Max says as he walks out of the jail.  
"BUT WE WERE USED!" Nack yells as the king walks out, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.  
On to the next morning, the echinda guardian plots his way to the Knothole Village, following the path he sees in his visions.  
"The village should be just above this small hill..." The echinda mumbles to himself.  
As he walks to the top of the hill, all he can see is the Great Oak Slide.  
"Hmm, odd, the village has got to be around here somewhere." Knuckles crosses his arms as he ponders.  
Suddenly he hears a sudden rustle of activity behind him, which he immediately spins around to face, spiked knuckles up.  
"Alright, come out! I know you're there!" He calls out aggressively.  
The being steps out into the light, none other than the half-robotic Sakura fox, Sakura.  
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Knuckles demands.  
"No need to be defensive, I may look like a foe... but I have no intention of causing anyone harm." She says.  
"Hmm, I see... I don't trust you but I'll take your word... for now." He says, lowering his knuckles somewhat.  
"What brings you to this place?" Sakura asks the other, who notably looks lost.  
"Something of great value was stolen from me... and I have traced it to this very area. However, I don't see anyway to progress from here."  
Sakura hmms to herself and activates a scan with her robotic sensors. She glances around in all direction before finding two large energy signatures, one she recognizes, Tails... and the other, much bigger and seeming to be inanimate.  
"I believe I may have found what you're looking for." Sakura says to him.  
"What? Where?" Knuckles asks with great anticipation. Sakura then points to the slide itself.  
"It's coming from through there, not far below our current altitude." She adds.  
The echidna looks into it, and listens.  
"It doesn't seem dangerous. I'll go first." He says, jumping into it and sliding through, down the slide and landing on the pile of hay at the bottom, followed by Sakura.  
As they sit up, they see Knothole Village, along a small stream in the heart of the Great Forest, with huts even in the trees.  
"Wow... this place is nice! Why have I never heard of it?" He says.  
"I wonder who lives here." Knuckles mumbles aloud before suddenly being answered.  
"We do." Sonic says, standing in the field in front of them.  
"I'm Knuckles the Echidna, and this is... er... I never did ask for your name."  
"I am Sakura." She replies.  
"And you are?" He looks to the blue hedgehog.  
"Sonic the Hedgehog, leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, and I protect my village. It's my home." He adds before eyeing Sakura's cybernetic parts.  
"And, just what do *you* want?" Sonic asks accusingly.  
"I've come because I've defected, my benefactor has betrayed me and I despise him greatly. I wish to join the Freedom Fighters so that I can give him just what he deserves."  
"...And I have come to retrieve the master emerald that was stolen from Angel Island. I am it's guardian and rightful protector, and no petty thief will stop me from getting it back."  
They both speak with conviction of their purpose, though Sonic isn't quite convinced.  
"Hmmm, Knuckles, you must mean that big gem that that dirty weasel gang used to rampage our village. I'm sure we'd all be happy to give it back to you."  
"As for you, sorry if I don't believe you, but this seems a bit odd." He says to Silver.  
"That's understandable, Sonic, but I am willing to do whatever it is required of me to hold your trust." She adds with a respectful bow of her waist.  
"Alright. Come with me." Sonic says, leading the two newcomers towards Freedom Headquarters.  
Inside Freedom HQ, King Max, and the Freedom Fighters are discussing what to do regarding Nack the Weasel and the Fanged Felons.  
"Sire, I think we need everyone we can get. They said they're only after fame and fortune. Why not just pay them to be our hired guns?" Bunnie asks.  
"No no, bunnie. If we release and then arm them, they could turn on us. I feel a prison sentance is in order. They did try to overthrow the kingdom, after all." Rotor counters.  
"That was 'cause they were under Ixis' spell. Remember the thing Rotor found on Nack's ear?" She replies.  
"Really... I'd like to see it and study it." Rotor says. Tails hands him the high-frequency brainwave disruptor that was attatched to Nack's ear. Rotor gets his laptop going and scans it.  
"This may take a while..." He says, as his comptuer scans it.  
"Not if we do it together." Princess Sally says, handing him NICOLE.  
"NICOLE, scan the disruptor. How does it work?" Sally asks.  
"Analyzing and scanning, Sally..." She says as she scans it, taking some of the load off of Rotor's computer as they work in tandem.  
Within a few seconds, they get an answer.  
"Scan completed. This high-frequency brainwave disruptor is a variation on a soundcard chip, which emits supersonic soundwaves at over 10 megahertz, well above the hearing capabilities of nearly all mammals. It acts to disrupt the Alpha and Beta brainwaves, therefore, allowing someone to basically hypnotize and mind-control the victim. Its radius is very limited, due to its high frequncy, so that's why it has to be placed very close to the brain, such as on the ear." The handheld computer explains.  
"I think that's settled. I feel a trial is in order." King Max says.  
"I'd say they're more innocent than guilty if you mean overthrowing King Acorn." Sonic says, standing in the doorway."  
"Sonic! Where were you? How long have you been there?"  
"Sal, I heard everything. I only left because two newcomers entered Knothole through the Great Oak Slide." He says, stepping inside, introducing them to Sakura, and Knuckles.  
"Ah, well, look who's here." Tails says as he jumps to his feet, looking over to Sakura.  
"Tails, I want you to know something. My body may be about half robotic, but I am not powered by AI, I have my flesh brain and make my own decision. As you know I was promised to be returned to my full mobian state, but his terms are unacceptable. I'm sorry for what happened, it would not have happened if I had known." She says, looking down and giving a sigh.  
"Wait a minute, he who?" Sally looks to Sakura along with everyone else.  
"I was sincerely hoping for a better time to tell you all... but it is true. Robotnik did survive Doomsday... I don't know where he's been all these years, but he's back." Tails admits.  
The others look wide eyed, mumbling amoungst themselves as the king stands silent.  
"This is a discussion for another time, we must continue with the task at hand." King Max speaks up.  
"Who iz zee other fellow?" Antoine asks, having remained a silent observer throughout most of the meeting.  
"This is Knuckles, and he claims to be the--" Sonic says when he is interrupted by the King himself.  
"Knuckles the Echidna. Guardian of the Master Emerald, and protector of Angel Island." Max says.  
"You know him?" Sonic asks.  
"Yes. I also knew his father, Locke. The Echidnas are one of Knothole's stedfast allies, both in times of peace, and in crisis." He says.  
"I see. How come we've never heard of 'em all before?" Bunnie asks.  
"We tend to keep to ourselves and not draw any unwanted attention. You mind your business, we mind ours, and everyone's happy. It's how we think, anyway." Knuckles says.  
"Has Robotnik trashed your island, too?" Tails asks.  
"Thankfully, no. He's tried, though." Knuckles says.  
The room falls silent for a second, before the furs remember about the felons.  
"What shall we do with Nack the Weasel and his Fanged Felons?" Sally asks.  
"Bring them to me. We'll try them in a court of justice." The King replies.  
The weasel brothers stir in their jail cell as the quarrel amoungst themselves of their future fate.  
"Man, we're gonna be locked-up in the Devil's Gulag... We'll all be handed life sentances." Konor says, looking at the ground.  
"Yeah, and it's all YOUR FAULT, NACKERY!" Karl growls, walking towards a slightly nervous Nack, who ends up backing himself into a corner.  
"N-now fellahs, you saw I wasn't myself. I'm into bank robberies, not revolutions." He says, trying to place his paws between himself and a very angry Karl.  
"Lay offa him, Karl. He's right. Perhaps this is what we deserve for the things we've done. They haven't exactly been nice things, ya know." Jeff says as he looks at his face in a mirror, noticing it's been a while since his last shave.  
"Bah. We're weasels, Jeff. It's our nature to be sneaky, to steal stuff, and lie." Karl says, briefly looking at Jeff, before turning back to his other brother. "We just screwed-up BIG TIME... that's all."  
The doors to the jail swing open, with the Freedom Fighters walking down the hallway towards the weasels.  
"Alright, 'Fanged Felons', now it's time to answer for all zee terrible things you've done." Antoine says, unlocking the cell door.  
The weasels stand still.  
"Fanged Felons... you have a choice." King Max says to them.  
"You can either go to a trial, or you can listen to my offer." He continues.  
"What's the offer?" Nack asks.  
"You will become my hired guns, and work only for me. You will be paid quite a handsome salary each. Should you try to overthrow the kingdom again, or murder the royal family, you will be executed at the Devil's Gulag." Max says.  
"Uhhh... let's think it over for a sec." Nack says, hudding his brothers together.  
The weasels look at each other and discuss it amongst themselves.  
"Maybe it's time we went straight, guys. I wanna stay alive." Konor tells his brothers.  
"How much will he pay us, though?" Karl asks.  
King max overhears that question, and raises an eyebrow. "If you're curious to the amount I'm willing to pay you....It is to the tune of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars per year, a piece. Half in cash, and half .  
Nack grins, and he looks like he's just hit the jackpot, his eyes even seeing dollar-signs briefly.  
"Boys, we'd be suckers not to accept." Nack says.  
"And if we refuse your offer?" Karl inquires.  
"You will be sentanced to life in prison in the Devil's Gulag for your crimes." King Max replies.  
Nack gulps and sweats a bit as his three brothers look angrily at him.  
"I don't think Nack likes that idea." Sonic chuckles.  
"'Course I don't, ya blue-furred meatball. I dont' want these morons killing me in prison." Nack snaps back.  
"I'm in." Jeff replies.  
"So are we." Karl and Connor say.  
"Wait wait wait... you're actually going to HIRE these criminals?" Sonic asks.  
King Max simply turns to Sonic.  
"I'm giving them a chance to go legitimate. In return, I'll pardon them and forgive their crimes." He says.  
"Father, what's going to stop them from attacking you?" Sally asks.  
"I'm glad you asked. I have more guards than just these four. They will simply be my special hired guns. They'll act as my spies." King Max says, staring Nack right in the eyes.  
"We'll be like you're secret agents, right?" Karl asks.  
"Exactly, I have already appointed the leader of the unit, under whom you shall serve." King Max replies.  
"How long will we have to do this?" Connor asks from the other side of the bars.  
"Let's just get the Kingdom rebuilt, first. Once my country has been restored, then we'll see if you continue your service, or if that is all." King Max explains.  
"Alright, yer majesty. We accept your offer." Nack says, shaking the King's hand.


	8. Chapter 8

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 12-May 14, 3241 - After "Reign of the False King" and Tails' Adventure (Late Spring)  
- - - - - -

Chapter 7 - A New Threat

Voices are heard discussing things from inside Freedom Headquarters.  
"Ya know, this feels kinda awkward." Karl says.  
"I agree. We don't normally do this type of thing." Jeff replies.  
"Yeah, well, it's this or rot in prison." Nack tells his brothers, as they look at themselves through a mirror, wearing royal guard uniforms.  
"I feel like a stuffed turkey." Connor says, looking his uniform over.  
"Hah. You look like one, Connor." Jeff chuckles, while he adjusts his belt.  
"Gentlemen, step out. I'd like to see you." King Max asks the weasels while standing outside their dressing room. The door slowly creaks open, and the weasels step out in their uniforms.

In the Zone of Silence.  
"Snively, it is time we return to Mobius. It's ours for the taking, now that Robotnik is basically harmless and under my control." Ixis says, picking up his book of spells.  
"Uncle J-julian..." Snively thinks to himself. "What's become of him?"  
"He's safe. However, I will seal up the Void and everyone within it after we leave." Ixis explains as he opens up a portal.  
Snively can't help but look at the pleading crystalline statue of Tadashi, feeling pity for him.  
Ixis turns around as he walks towards the portal.  
"Snively? What are you doing? Do you feel PITY for that trecharous jackal?" Ixis asks, quite offended of Snively's apparent weakness.  
"N-no, sir. I'm j-just contemplating how horrible it will be for him to be lost into nothing, unable to escape." he says, rubbing the collar of his sweater, sweating slightly.  
"Snively, you aren't even a lackey. You are just a spineless jellyfish. Why do I keep you around, anyway?" He asks the short human.  
"B-because I know my uncle's machines and computers?" He asks.  
The evil wizard simply nods his head.

"Where are you two going?" a low-pitched voice says, startling Ixis. The wizard slowly turns around, seeing a large, muscular panda standing at the entrance of his lair, with his arms folded.  
"Feist." The wizard says, unimpressed before adding.  
"Just what do you want, you cretin?"  
"What do I want? Let me think about that one..." Feist says to himself, tapping his chin as he walks towards the two, before stopping, resting his right paw on Tadashi's head.  
"You're going to seal up the Void, Ixis. I don't want that. This has been my home for the past twenty years. And what of poor Tadashi? what have you done to him?" He asks.  
"The Void is of no further use to me. Now that I have fully adapted and absorbed the properties of this realm it is no longer useful to me." Ixis explains to Feist.  
"How rude of you to leave me alone in here, Ixis. Especially since I was the one who taught you how to use this zone to your advantage." He says.  
"I don't listen to the likes of lower life forms. I am in control now, I have the power to warp space and time at will... even you're nothing to me now, Feist, and don't you forget that." He says, standing up to the panda with a red glow in his eyes.  
Feist stands firm, not afraid of Ixis one bit.  
"S-sir, perhaps he wants to leave the void..." Snively asks.  
"Yes... I can see that Snivley." The wizard replies quickly before adding.  
"I wish to leave this place. After all, you have been using *my* void for your own selfish gain all these years, I wish to have nothing more to do with your trechery." The panda explains firmly.  
"What?! You insolent fool!" Ixis snaps out with Feist growling back intently, Snively taking a few steps back at the sight of the tension. The wizard then suddenly seems to lighten up a bit with a smirk present on his features.  
"Hmm, very well then, Feist... as you wish, but stay out of my way." The wizard gives a dark chuckle before turning and motioning Snivley onward.  
'It's not like he can possibly stand in my way now, my full adaptation has increased my power ten-fold... after i'm done with Mobius, i'll be sure to erase this entire place from existance altogether.' The wizard thinks to himself deviously as he moves forward.  
Ixis walks through the void's tunnel and emerges in Mobius, with Snively closely following. He turns around to look back at Feist through the void's warp tunnel with two others trailing just behind him, Warlord Kodos and Overlander Scientist Nate Morgan.  
"Now, Feist. Seal up the void. Time is short and i have many things to do." Ixis barks at the panda.  
Feist does what he is told, and seals up the Void before turning in time to watch Ixis, Snively and Kodos suddenly disappear out of view, leaving the other two behind.

The wizard walks through the deserted streets of the ruined Robotropolis, empty, aside from mounds of rubble and trash strewn about from the years of neglect and abandonment.  
"Now, where was your uncle's headquarters located?" He asks.  
"A-above there..." Snively replies, pointing towards the large, egg-shaped tower ahead.  
Ixis grins, walking towards the bluish-silver tower as the sun sets and a storm approaches.  
"This is going to be easy." He says as he walks into the building with Snively and Kodos.  
Using his magic, he commands the elevator's doors to open, as the electrical grid has failed. He summons the elevator to lift them to the roof.  
"Where are we going, sir?" Snively asks.  
"We are going to the roof. I wish to survey my new capital city." He says as snively watches the floor buttons light up, passing 40, then 45, in succession.

They arrive at the roof shortly. Snively holds his arms close to his body, almost shivering from the winds, despite the warm air. Lightning flashes briefly above the brownish-red smog-laden sky, as the pitch-black stormclouds roll in. Snively can tell in the depths of his mind that something bad is going to happen, very soon, but he does not know what.  
"Ah yes, perfect... now behold Snivley, the power of the master of Mobius. All of this world and it's people are mine now!" As soon as the wizard speaks the storm intensifies, leaving only a spiraling hole in the clouds above them. The area suddenly light up by a strange immense purple light and the ground around them begins to shake.  
Snively finds a random pipe to brace himself, the winds spiraling visciously around them, lighting crashing violently all around them amidst the immense aura that lights up the entire area.  
"Neither the quickster nor his gifted friend can stop me now, I will strike down my opposers with a power of the likes they've never even seen before!" The wizard begins shouting out in a fanatical tone as a sudden burst of energy around central tower suddenly bursts, creating a shockwave so powerful that it levels all of the nearby buildings, pulverising them to mere bits.  
Snively squeaks out in suprise at the spectacle before him, shocked by the incredible ferocisity of the wizard's new might.  
The spiraling winds then begin to fade, the storm returning to a more normal formation, yet the hole in the sky and the purple aura stays, lighting continues crashing around with persistant evil power.  
"Mobians, this is your new master speaking. Come to Mobotropolis and reclaim your homes, the dawn of a new age is upon you! Come, I command it so!" Naugus speaks, echoing in Snivley's head with a loud booming tone that causes him to shudder.  
Kodos suddenly walks up to the rooftop, a bit awe struck as well as he surveys the utter chaos around him.  
"Are you sure they'll listen and return as you order them to?" Kodos asks, paw rested firmly on the hilt of his sheathed sword.  
"Oh yes, they'll come... they have no choice, I can feel the presence of their minds right in my grasp as I speak." The wizard growls out in satisfaction.  
"How do you intend to squash the hedghog and his group of rabble-rousers?" Kodos asks of the wizard.  
"This disturbance will be noticed by them very soon, and when they get here... their own allies can finish them off for me." He replies.  
"But why not just control their minds as well, afterall, if you can manage that many why not the rest of them?" The lion warlord inquires.  
"Because, my dear fool, that would not be sufficient for the glorious revenge I have in mind." He replies again, becoming a bit frustrated with his questioning.  
"Very well." The patient lion replies, continuing to clean his sword's blade with a cloth.

In the Great Forest, furs can be seen walking as if in a daze, or even a hypnotic spell. All are walking towards Mobotropolis, as Ixis guides them. Sonic looks out the window of his hut, and notices some of the freedom fighters are walking off into the forest in a daze.  
"What's going on?" He asks himself, walking out the door.  
The blue hedgehog approaches Bunnie Rabbot and Rotor the Walrus.  
"Guys, what's going on? Why are the people leaving?" Sonic asks them.  
"I don't know. They all just started walking towards Robotropolis..." Rotor explains.  
"This smells of Robuttnik." Sonic says. "I"m gonna get Tails. Bunnie, come with me. Rotor, you and Antoine should stay here and notify us if anything happens."  
Before Sonic has a chance to leave Tails suddenly comes running toward them.  
"Guys, this is terrible. There's some kind of huge, unnatural power coming from the Robotropolis ruins!" He calls out.  
"What? Well that certainly explains it!" Sonic says, slamming his fist into a gloved paw.  
"Most of the villagers are hypnotized, an' walkin' away like zombies..." Bunnie explains, having followed Sonic.  
"That's why we gotta get Sally and jet over to Robotropolis to find out what's going on over there!" Sonic adds.  
"We need to be careful. This has to be Naugus' work, it just seems too bizaree to be Robotnik's handywork." Tails explains.  
"Impossible. He's still in the void." Sonic says, not that worried.  
Tails turns in the direction of the disturbance, noting the black clouds and strange dark purple spot on the distant horizon.  
"Not any more... he's obviously found a way out." He adds, tails twitching about almost nervously.

"What's going on guys?" Sally asks as she arrives, with Nichole.  
Tails turns his head to Princess Sally as she walks in and explains, Sonic thinking everything over for a second.  
"Do we have any other proof from anyone else that can confirm this?" Sonic asks his best friend, Tails.  
"Well, a couple of our spies at the edge of the Great Forest reported seeing lots of lightning from around the Robotropolis area... not to mention they were picking up really weird vibes..." Bunnie says.  
"That's nothing. It could just be an electrical storm." Sonic says, trying to pass it off as a natural event.  
"I doubt it, Sonic. It was Feist that told them. We really should check it out, or we could end up paying with our lives." Tails replies.  
"How will we all get there in time, though? It takes a good 3 hours just to make it to Robotropolis..." Bunnie explains.  
"Maybe it's best I go this one alone." Tails states.  
"Oh no, you're not going in there alone pal. You may have some new tricks and stuff, but if this really is that ol' wizard and he's doing something this big... we've gotta do this together." Sonic says, placing a paw on his shoulder.  
"Yes... I suppose you're right. Well, thanks to another new capability of mine, I can now fly much faster without any assistance. Sonic and I can go up ahead while the rest of you guys could take the Winged Victory." Tails explains, looking around.  
"But, we could be playing right into a trap." Sally adds.  
"Maybe so, but if we don't, who knows what kind of cruel things he might do with the rest of them." Tails replies.  
"Yes, you're right. Alright then, let's do it to it!" Sally says enthusiastically.  
"Sal-gal, shouldn't we-all notify your father of this? He is the King after all..." Bunnie asks.  
"We will, Bunnie. He needs to know his kingdom is still in danger." She says.

The Freedom Fighters walk into Freedom Headquarters and approach King Max.  
"Sire, we have disturbing reports from our spy network that Ixis Naugus is not only free from the Void, but has taken control of Robotropolis. We believe he is hynotizing our fellow Mobians and drawing them back to the city." Tails says.  
"What!?" King Max asks in astonshiment, closing his eyes.  
"I thought the Void would contain him forever. This is very bad. If he's truly breached it, the Void would become unstable, and become a Black Hole, swallowing up the planet, destroying it." Max explains.  
Everyone in the room is stunned.  
"Wait... I thought Ixis was on our side. He tried to take down Robotnik before Doomsday...and he was able to release Ari from the void." Rotor mentions.  
"Yes, but Robotnik's still alive out there somewhere, we're just not sure where. Silver was a new prototype, made literally just months ago." Tails adds.  
"But that doesn't make any sense... if Robotnik's still alive then why would Naugus be targeting us and not him?" Sally questions aloud.  
The room falling silent for a moment before a feminin figure clad in black walks through the doorway.  
"That's because they're actually working together... so to speak." A rich feminin voice fills the air to the suprise of those present in a room, a voice that belongs... to Fiona Fox.  
Tails recognizes the voice immediately and looks to the female fox with a glare as the others look with an air of mixed confusion.  
"Oh well, open the door and look who decides to drop in... they really do let anyone into this place don't they?" Tails says, walking up to the leather clad female.  
"Huh, what's going on here?" Sonic asks, giving his head a scratch.  
"Listen... I have all the information you need. While you have been galloping about on your little adventure I had an unprecidented opportunity to study what's going on there. Oh, not to mention there's something you should know about too, Tails." Fiona speaks to Tails with a slight grin.  
"Huh... whatever, just fill is in on things you know so that we can get going and fix this problem." Tails demands dismissingly.  
"I recognize her, that's Fiona... wow, she's really changed. Though it has been years." Sally says.  
Fiona steps beyond Tails, who keeps a disgusted look in his face.

She looks to the others before she speaks up once again.  
"Naugus has Robotnik under his control, and it looks like he may have been under the spell for quite some time. Silver was just a distraction, as was the mystic assassin Tadashi... the real dangers are still in the works. What, exactly they are... i'm not sure, but it looks like Naugus has finally become so intent on being the new ruler that he has brought it upon himself to do the job in person."  
The others just look to each other before the King speaks up.  
"Absolutely unbelieveable... even I can't truly understand this. Ixis Naugus is a strange being, but I never took him to be totally vile." He says, rubbing over his forehead worriedly.  
Tails regains his composure and walks over to the others.  
"Well, we can't just sit around guys... we've got to get to the root of this problem and i'll bet my butt it's right there in Robotropolis." Sonic says, dashing out with the others following behind, Fiona included.

They run out of the door of Freedom Headquarters, towards the makeshift airplane hangar that houses the Winged Victory, Tails' biplane.  
"Alright, Sonic and I can scout ahead... but who is going to fly?" He asks.  
"I can do it, I helped fix the plane up afterall." Rotor speaks up.  
"Tails, there are only two seats in this thing. How will the rest of us get to Robotropolis?" Sally asks.  
"Two of you will have to ride on the wings, holding onto the vertical stabilizers." Sonic replies.  
"Alright. Let's go." Sally says as she sits in the passenger's seat, behind Rotor. Bunnie and Antoine then climb onto the wings. Tails looks around to see if Fiona was still around them, just to see her gone.  
'There's something odd about her, I have a sneaky feeling she might be in on this too, somehow.' The twin-tail thinks to himself.  
As Rotor starts the plane and steers the plane out of the hangar, Knuckles approaches them.  
"Hold on a minute!" Knuckles shouts, causing Rotor to shut the plane back down.  
"What's going on?" Rotor asks, looking back and noticing the echinda.  
"I have sensed the disturbance as well, and it looks like you guys could use all the help you can get. Since I still have yet to return the emerald back to Angel Island, it should be an acceptable deviation from my duties to help out." Knuckles says.  
"Alright then, hop on and hang on Knuckles." Rotor motions the echinda on.  
"I'll run on the ground and have you guys follow me. Besides, the plane might crash if it's too heavy, with the three of ya on the wings and two in the seats. I'll be close by, though." The blue-furred hedgehog explains.  
"Yes, and i'll be flying right behind him." Tails adds.  
"Alright, here, take these... we'll use these to communicate with you." Rotor says, handing both Sonic and Tails a pair of earphones with a microphone attatched.  
"Cool." Sonic says as he puts it on his head.  
"Excellent idea, Rot." Tails adds, slipping his pair on as well.  
"Hold on tight, guys!" Rotor yells over the propeller engine as he starts it up and takes off towards Robotropolis, with Sonic and a charged up Tails leading the charge on the ground.

The evil wizard, along with his two henchmen stand ready in their make-shift command center.  
"Kodos...I can feel them coming, the quickster and his friends will be here soon. Perpare for their arrival." Ixis orders the lion soldier.  
"...and one more thing." Ixis says, handing him a megaphone.  
"Use this to alert the slaves when the Freedom Fighters show up." He says.  
Kodos simply nods and walks towards the elevator.  
"Those meddlesome rabble-rousers will not stop me now. Let me see just how well they can handle THIS." He says, fueling the storm to monstrous proportions around the ruins.  
Ixis takes a moment to probe around for any other unsuspected activity, just find another approaching mobian, this one with an energy signature like Tails.  
"Hmm, what is this... an unwelcome guest with the mystic strength nearly that of the twin-tailed one ...How very curious." "What shall we do about that one, Sir?" Snivley inquires.  
"Nothing further... this is still nothing I can not handle." Naugus replies darkly.  
The winds dramatically increase in speed. The rain starts to pour down, with hail, and the lightning makes it dangerous to even stand outside.

Rotor is flying on the plane with the other fighter aboard when he sees the monster storm approaching. He looks closer through his goggles.  
"Oh, mah stars..." Bunnie says to herself.  
"That doesn't look like any storm I've ever seen." Sally says, pressing a few buttons on Nichole.  
"Rotor, plug her in. She'll try to help steady the plane, and act as a radar." She explains.  
The walrus does so, plugging her into the connection port on the dashboard.  
"NICOLE, what do we have ahead of us?" Rotor asks, as he flies, starting to feel some of those winds.  
"Scanning... potential of hail around an inch in size, winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, and strong downbursts. I am also detecting strong ionic residues of magic within this storm." She reports.  
"Guys, we got a nasty storm ahead. I think Ixis is cooking this up to stop us." Rotor says over the intercom.  
"Yeah, I can see it now... that is *definately* not natural." Tails replies through the system.  
"Hah. It'll take a lot more than a silly storm to--" he says as he runs.  
The blue-furred hedgehog clears the Great Forest, entering the Great Desert between the Forest and the City, before he's interrupted by several lightning strikes per second near him.  
"Sonic, watch out!" Tails shots to the headgehog.  
"That's some unbelieveable electrostatic discharge! You guys hide somewhere!" Rotor yells, not wanting his friend to be cooked or electrocuted.  
Tails and Sonic look around, narrowly evading several strikes around them. Sonic not amused that his fur is frizzing out from all the static.  
"Man, what's up with this storm?" Sonic asks over the communicator.  
"The desert's rocks have silicon dissolved into 'em. You know silicon's a good conductor of electricity. It's like you're walking on a big dusty computer processor." The walrus explains, dodging lightning bolts as he flies the plane.  
"Rotor, careful!" Bunnie yelps, holding onto the wing, right before a lightning bolt strikes the plane, scorching the top wings.  
The walrus steers the plane at a sharp angle to the right, slightly downwards.

Back in Knothole, the remaining Freedom Fighters are listening intently to what's going on over the radio, which is linked with Tails' plane.  
King Max is listening with the Freedom Fighters, very concerned.  
"Antoine..." He says.  
"Oui, Mon liege?" He asks.  
"Get the weasels." The King tells his royal soldier.  
Antoine nods and walks towards the hut housing the Weasels, complying with the royal order he was given. He pauses for a second.  
"I hope ze king knows what he ees doing... I fear ze time he spent in de Void may 'ave driven 'im mad..." He says to himself.  
He then pushes that thought aside and knocks on the door.  
"Weasels...Ze king has asked me to get you." Antoine says.  
Nack is polishing his stetson hat when he looks up.  
"You heard 'im, boys. let's go." The oldest of the weasel brothers tells the others.  
Antoine holds the door open for them as they leave, and he escourts them to the King.

As they enter the command center of the palace, the weasel see King Max present, along with someone else they haven't seen before.  
"Gentleman, as of today, you will be assinged to the first major task of your duties. So far with your general guard duties you have done well, but today you will be following the orders of your appointed leader." The King speaks.  
"Meet Captain Geoffrey St. John." The King motions toward a tall-standing skunk in decorated body armor with a green bandana around his neck.  
The skunk immediately walks down the line, eyeing over the weasels carefully before stopping near Nackery.  
"Well, they seem a little rough around the edges... but they shall work fine, my liege." The skunk offers a bow of his head to Max.  
"Huh, this stink bag doesn't look so tough to me." Jeff mumbles audibly.  
"What!?" Geoffrey snaps and marches over, getting right in Jeff's face.  
"I see we have a joker amidst us, remind me to rip a piece out of you when we get back." The skunks says darkly before standing back to allow the King to continue.  
"Gentleman, as you have learned, Ixis Naugus has returned from the Void. About half an hour ago, Tails and the Freedom Fighters left for Robotropolis in the Winged Victory, but have now run into extreme danger from the storm that Ixis has created. Your job is to act as the calvary and back up Sonic and Tails." He explains.  
"How will we catch up to them, though? You said they took a plane, and that's pretty far off." Nack asks.  
"You don't need to worry. I have a royal vehicle that can get you there quickly." King Max says as he walks with the Weasels and the squad leader into the back of Freedom Headquarters. He opens one garage, and reveals a rather old-looking but powerful van, painted black, with the Royal Coat of Arms on the doors.  
The weasels look, in confusion.  
"What is it?" Connor asks.  
"Looks like a jalopy to me." Jeff chuckles, before being elbowed in the ribs by Karl.  
"Would ya rather walk, ya dope?" Karl tells him as Geoffrey gives them both the evil eye.  
"This, ahem... "jalopy" as you say... is the first Royal Secret Service vehicle we were able to recover from Robotropolis so far. It has a range of several hundred kilometers, has 2-inch-thick steel plating to protect you from explosions, bullets, lasers, and what-not. Now, I don't have the time to explain the rest right now. Take it, get to Robotropolis, and report back if Sonic and Tails have made it safely." Max explains to them.  
"Yes sir!" Geoffrey gives with a salute before motioning the weasels on.  
"Alright boys, let's get out there and give them hell!" He calls out before stepping into the van.  
"Sire, we won't let you down." Karl tells him as they open the doors and hop into it.

Geoffrey sits down in the driver's seat and turns the engine on, hearing it roar to life, giving a smug grin.  
"Hey, uh, mister commander... how about letting one of us drive? It's not like we've had things like this before." Nack says to Geoffrey.  
"Later, now is not the time for this... we must stay focused on the objective at hand. Let's go!" The skunk brushes of the request, strapping himself in.  
"Hey, I think I like this ride." Connor says as the skunk floors the accelerator pedeal, driving quickly out of Freedom Headquarters and Knothole Village.  
The skunk quickly and skillfully drives over the wooden one-lane bridge of the Great River, and into the Great Desert within less than 15 minutes. He drives the vehicle at a break-neck speed, made somewhat easier without the vegetation to avoid.  
When the weasels clear the Great Forest, they can see the severity of the storm bearing down upon them. Geoffrey suddenly stops the van.  
"Why are ya stoppin'? We're sittin' ducks now, for Ixis AND his lightnin'!" Karl says.  
"Get your guns ready, boys... I have a feeling this is gonna get nasty." The weasels start loading their M-16s and magnum handguns, as the skunk buckles on some ammo straps and a rifle of his own.  
"You there, Nack, check the horizon for the biplane... we need to find it amidst this muck." He says, handing over the binoculars to the weasel.  
Nack grabs his binoculars, searching for the biplane in the distance. "Pah. I can't find it..." He replies.  
"Okay, keep searching, we're going in." He says, putting the van back into gear.

Ixis has moved back up to the roof, orchestrating the storm directly. He stops, to create a holographic image to see where the Freedom Fighters are.  
"Quickster, you and your friends will perish before you can even reach me. I'll make sure of it." He says to himself.  
The wizard then watches as the people begin to enter the city, walking through the rubble-strewn streets.  
"Perfect. Right on schedule." The wizard mutters before moving to the edge of the roof to call out.  
"Dear mobians, you have not yet reclaimed your city and yet an evil force comes this way to take it from you! You must protect the city from the one called Sonic and his supposed 'freedom fighters', for they care not of you or your rightful possession. If you find them, terminate them without mercy, for they are your true enemy!"  
The words spoken out with his dark mind control in full force, the order causing them all to grow into a riot with virtually no mind to the terrible weather that surrounds them, parading out in all directions.

Kodos walks to the center park of the city, which is little more than a rubble-strewn courtyard, surrounded by high-rise office towers. The strong lion turns on the bullhorn that Ixis gave him.  
"Attention! This is Commander Kodos speaking! A plane has been spotted trying to land in the city limits! Go find them and kill them if they resist!" the lion orders through the machine.  
The group of people begins to disperse, searching for their percieved enemies.  
Kodos picks up the CB radio on his belt.  
"Kodos to Ixis. They have spotted a plane attempting a landing around here a few minutes ago." He speaks into his device.  
"I am aware of this, Kodos. Also know that there is another paricularly troublesome pest inbound from the south who will be here any minute." He replies, his eyes closed as the wizard senses the approach.  
"Don't worry. The whole city is ready to kill them the moment they show their faces." Kodos chuckles.

Rotor pulls up on the steering wheel, bringing the plane level with the ground, flying around 100 feet above it.  
"Rotor, how are we going to fight Ixis?" Bunnie asks him.  
"Well, Sonic has his Power Rings on supply, Sally has NICOLE, Tails has his new powers and we know how strong you are, Bunnie. I also previously helped Tails put two 60-calibre guns on the wings, so we can hold out if we're fired upon." He explains, flying towards the city.  
The large buildings in the core become visible in the distance, as the smaller and lower buildings and factories pass by below.  
"Rotor, take us down here. I think this is a safe place to land..." Sonic says, seeing a straight and relatively clear street, Tails landing right next to Sonic and looking around, noting the others nearby.  
As the walrus steers the plane towards the street, they notice there are people along the sides.  
"What are those people doing there?" Knuckles asks.  
"Looks like Ixis' personal greeting squad. We might have an uphill battle all the way to Ixis himself as soon as we land." He replies, steering the plane to a touchdown landing on the street. Sally and Bunnie get themselves ready to fight if they need to.  
"Maybe they'll listen to reason. They might be possessed and hypnotized by Ixis, but we should give it a shot." Sonic says as the land the plane on the ground and quickly jump out of the plane.  
"I'm not so sure they're ready to listen. This mind control aura is even worse than I thought... they could be totally devoid of concious thought." Tails adds, taking a stance.

The freedom fighters cluster together, watching all the others closing slowly in around them.  
"Guys, don't you know that Ixis is just using you and hypnotizing you into doing his dirty work?" Sonic calls out to them.  
"Ixis is our benevolent leader. We have to do what he says." The badger tells Sonic.  
"What about King Max? HE's your rightful leader. Or have ya'll forgotten about 'im?" Bunnie asks.  
"King Max is an imposter to the crown. Now surrender to Ixis, or suffer crystalization." Another fur replies.  
"Sonic, we have to get out of here. We can't hurt them either." Sally tells the blue hedgehog.  
"I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin'..." he says.  
"The time's over for thinkin' hedgehog. EAT PIPE!" A white-furred wolf yells, charging at the hedgehog, grasping a lead pipe.  
Sonic jumps out of the way and tries to dodge the swings.  
"Stop moving so I can kill you!" He growls.  
Sonic kicks the pipe out of the wolf's hands, startling him.  
"Yo, hyena! I need some help here!" the wolf yells towards the hyena.  
The hyena runs towards his friend, but Tails trips him with a quick sweep of his tails.  
The wolf watches, and then raises his paws... "I-i really didn't mean none of that... see? It was all jsut a big elaborate joke...ha ha..." He cowers, as Bunnie approaches him.  
"Shugah, yer in a whole lot o' trouble, now." She says, punching him.  
"Whoa, Bunnie! Take it easy..." Tails says with a chuckle.  
"Sugah-tails, you'd have nothin' to worry about." She says, touching his nose cutely with her finger.  
They watch as the hyena then takes off, after seeing what happened to his wolf friend.

High above the surface of the planet, Robotnik is watching things very closely.  
He suddenly hears a voice echoing from deep inside his mind.  
"Robotnik! What is the status report of your projects?" Ixis tells him.  
"Project Onyx is ready to be sent to the surface, master. However..." Robotnik replies.  
"However *what*?" Ixis growls out.  
"The mutations aren't quite as effective as the figures had suggested. His...master system is only running at 60%." Robotnik replies a bit sheepishly.  
"Curses, that is not good enough... we can not afford to let him out too early, he must be perfectly up to spec. We need another plan then, what else is available?" The wizard asks commandingly.  
"Well, now that I think about it... there is something. There is an exception robot hedgehog model in the waterfront warehouse, where the Swatbots are built." He explains.  
"Very good, I shall have Snivley activate it." The wizard says before fading out of Robotnik's head just to grumble aloud.  
"That fool... this just proves I can't rely on him. Oh well, what else is new..." Naugus complains idly.

Ixis then turns to Snively, now located back down in the headquarters now that the freedom fighters had arrived.  
"Go to the Swatbot Factory on the bay and activate the robot hegehog." Ixis instructs him.  
"You... must mean the Metallix unit, sir." Snively says.  
"Yes, whatever, do it." Naugus replies as he silently continues monitoring the progress of the freedom fighters as Snively steps out of the room. He suddenly summons a holographic image of the 'surpise addition' as they come into city limits.  
"Well well, what have we here... seems like our guest has arrived. Peculiar, she bares considerable resemblance to the twin-tail in looks and power. This shall be interesting." He mumbles aloud before paging Kodos on the system.  
"Kodos, the other fighter I told you about has arrived... she is potential trouble. I want you to deal with her, personally." He orders through the system to the lion.  
"Consider it done, Naugus." Kodos replies, already having the vixen in sight from a nearby ally.

Snively trudges his way toward the warehouse, trying not to get blown away.  
"Nagus is truly mad... Metallix may likely kill everyone, his programming was never completed... but if I resist, he'll tear me a new one." he says to himself as he walks into the factory.  
He gets his access card out and puts it into the door's access reader.  
"Access Granted, Snively." The door's speaker says, opening.  
The door slides open, with some mist. Standing before him, in a special suspension chamber, is Robotnik's greatest robotic creation, a metallic duplicate of Sonic. The machine is currently in rest mode, but is operational. As snively steps forward, it raises its head and its eyes glow an eerie red colour.  
"Identify yourself!" He says.  
"GAH! The robot is already functioning!" Snively shouts, stepping back.  
"Who are you? Identify yourself or you will be terminated." The metallic robot says.  
"I-I'm Snively Kintobor, nephew of Robotnik..." He explains.  
"Doctor Robotnik? My creator? I see... I am Metal Sonic, the Metal Robotic Hedgehog, but you can call me Metallix. How can I be of service?" The metal hedgehog asks.  
Snively thinks to himself, very pleased of this revelation. Since Metallix is still functional and capable of its goals, he can release it.  
"Your orders are to kill Sonic, and his Freedom Fighters. Stop at NOTHING." He tells his robotnic slave.  
The suspension chamber opens and the robot steps free.  
"I will comply with the orders given." He replies, running and then flying off with his back-mounted rocket booster, in search of Sonic.  
"I can only hope, that perhaps... perhaps Metallix will kill Sonic, and then Naugus..." Snively says to himself as he watches Metallix fly off in the distance before slowly walking out of the building.

On the far side of the Fiona walks down a now vacant street, the mind-controlled mass already heading toward the center to find the other invaders.  
Fiona stops suddenly and gives a smirk.  
"Come out here, I know you're hiding over there." Fiona speaks before looking at a nearby building, which from inbetween the big lion appears.  
"My, aren't we quite a persceptive little one." The lion says with a chuckle, holding his giant battle axe in his paws.  
Fiona turns turns to face him, hair matted with rain and her eyes glowing a deep blue as she looks up to him.  
"So unfitting for such a huge boy like you to be hiding like a coward." The lion snorts in return at the remark.  
"Typical, the only thing dangerous about you is your mouth... I shall take care of you quickly." He says before giving his of his massive ask, aimed right for the vixen.  
Fiona quickly flares up with an aura charge and manages to stop his axe in mid swing with just one paw.  
Kodos cringes in a bit of shock as the darkly glowing vixen defies his strength so easily.  
"How is it that you are so strong? This axe weighs far more than your own body!" The two struggling for control, Fiona managing to hold the axe mere inches from her face with a dark chuckle.  
"Now you see, don't you? ...I am quite dangerous indeed." She gives the lion a sudden hard kick, knocking him back into a pile of rubble, his own axe in her paw.

The Freedom Fighters stand across the courtyard from the main entrance to the large egg-shaped building. Sonic turns to Knuckles. "The only thing standing between us is that large cluster of mobians." Sonic tells him.  
"There's so many of them, just how are we going to do this?" Knuckles asks.  
"We should be able to handle this no problem, trust me." Sonic replies confidently.  
"Alright..." Knuckles replies a bit concerned.  
Sonic dashes out there quickly, stopping just in front of the mass.  
"Looking for someone?" Sonic says, giving his rump a teasing tap, riling up the rowdy mass before charging right down the middle of them with a spin-dast, throwing much of them around in the process.  
Tails and Knuckles bolt out afterward, Sally and Bunny following afterward, Rotor staying behind with the plane.  
The three pushing and punching their way through the roundy mass, who sling chains and whatever else they could find at them.

As the weasels drive through the streets of Robotropolis, they fire at those that try to attack them.  
"What're we lookin' for again? A blue hedgehog or somethin'?" Jeff asks, aiming his gun at anyone that wants to attack them.  
"Yes, we're here to backup Sonic. We can't afford to let anyone mess up this mission." The skunk says.  
He then sees a short human running out in front of his van, not looking where he's going. Geoffrey slams on the brakes, catching the weasel brothers off-guard.  
"What's the big idea!?" Karl asks him, rubbing his head after hitting the dashboard.  
"Something just ran out in front of us. I think it was an overlander!" He explains, opening the door the door with rifle in paw, finger on the trigger.  
"So, why not run 'im over? Or just ice 'im?" Jeff asks.  
"We can't do that stuff anymore, boys. We're guards now, not criminals." Nack says as he steps out, and finds a quivering Snively ducking and covering his head right in front of the car, as if bracing to be hit.  
"You, get up!" The skunk captain demands.  
"W-what?" Snively asks.  
He opens an eye, and sees himself staring down the barrel of a gun, with a gruff looking skunk holding it. He jumps up frightfully.  
"Hey, don't move and I don't intend on shooting. Now who are you?" He states "S-s-s-snively..." He says.  
The skunk smirks a bit, remembering him all too well, from all he's heard about him from the Freedom Fighters.  
"Well, S-s-s-snively, let's go for a ride..." He prods him with the barrel of the gun, leading him towards the back of the van.  
"Alright, one of you weasels cuff this goon!" The leader barks out.  
"Eh, i'll get this one." Karl states, filing out and cuffing Snively firmly.  
"Snively, you're under arrest!" Geoffrey says, motioning the weasel who shoves him roughly into the back, closing the door securely. They hop back into the truck and prepare to depart.  
"Good job men, now let's keep going." The skunk bellows out before putting the van into drive.

The dark clad vixen stands over a now thoroughly beaten Kodos, not a scratch upon her body with the lion's axe laying several feet behind her.  
"They just don't make big brutes like they used to... you're pathetic!" She says mockingly down to the lion who struggles to regain his footing.  
"You... you stupid little bitch... there's no way i'm letting some... little woman topple me!" He makes another charge at her, which she quickly sidesteps and jumps up just enough to land her arm harshly against his neck, knocking him face down onto the wet pavement.  
"Like I said, pathetic... I have better things to do than waste time here with you, watching you embarrass yourself." She says with a smirk over her shoulder to the other.  
"No... I can't... believe this." Kodos grunts out, trying to push himself up once again before recieving a foot to the back of his head, hard enough to knock the big warrior unconcious with one final cry of pain.  
"Yeah, yeah... I know." She says before beginning to walk off, tracing Tails' energy to the source in hopes of finding the others. Silently knowing that the lion is down for the count.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles pant from their battle as they take a moment to rest amidst the chaos.  
"Man, this is nuts. I could morph up to full power but i'd rather not kill them." Tails explains.  
"Yeah bro, we gotta hurry, there's more coming." Sonic replies.  
In the distance, they see a pair of headlights piercing the fog.  
"Oh great, round three." Knuckles says, rubbing his wrist.  
Sonic stands on guard, and motions for his friends to stand back.  
The vehicle quickly approaches and then stops about 10 feet from Sonic. The doors open, Geoffrey and the weasels file out of the van.  
Sonic chuckles a bit at seeing who is there.  
"Well well, if it isn't mister odor eater." Sonic says mockingly.  
"Silence, you! This is no time to be making jokes you living buzzsaw." The skunk promptly retorts.  
"Where'd y'all find that thing? And what is it, anyway?" Bunny asks.  
"It's called a van, and the King said it was one of the Secret Service Vehicles. Told us to get over here and give ya backup." Jeff adds.  
Karl steps forward and looks at the unconscious mobains lying around.  
"Heh. you guys really did a number on 'em." Karl quips.  
"Hmm, good work Tails... and you too Guardian! Boys, round 'em up... we've got few more for the cargo hold." Geoffrey calls out, intentionally leaving Sonic out of the praise, who in turn just shrugs.  
All of them except Sally and Bunnie walk to the back of the van. Connor opens the van door and they find Snively inside, bound and gagged. He begs to speak, but it only comes out muffled.

Tails perks his ears and Sonic scoffs as they see Snively.  
"Snively." Sonic says with a scowl, removing the bandanna wrapped around his mouth.  
"What're you tryin' to do? Run away like the cowardly little worm you are?" The blue blur asks him.  
"Sonic! please! you must listen! I'll explain! Naugus has gone made with power ...I had to release Metallix and now I fear I may have just killed us all." He says.  
"What's Metallix?" Sonic asks him.  
"It's a robot duplicate of you, Sonic, that my uncle Robotnik created back at the time of Doomsday. He built it specifically to kill you Sonic, but he was never able to finish the programming on time... so none of us are safe from it with very few directives to keep him under control!" Snively tells them.  
"Now we have a robot dummy of me runnin' about?" He chuckles. "Man, is it me, or is Robuttnik getting lamer?"  
"Very funny, hedgehog. I'm trying to help you." Snively mutters.  
"Alright, alright. So where's your uncle been hiding all this time?" Sonic asks.  
"Aboard the floating space station he discovered years ago. That's not the point, though. Metallix will hunt us down. It can detect your body heat and tracks your speed. That's not the only plan Naugus has, though." He says.  
"You sing like a canary, Snively... and maybe, just maybe, we'll vouch for a lighter punishment." Geoffrey tells him, sitting a boot up in the van as he leans forward intimidatingly.  
"H-he's planning to build a massive cement corridor 50 meters wide all the way to the Great Forest. Once it's completed, he will instruct the people to mobilize and gather equipment to cut down the Great Forest, and burn it. He hopes this will either expose Knothole, drive you out, or kill you Freedom Fighters." He says.  
"Man, Naugus really wants us gone..." Tails speaks up at random.

A dark figure appears amoungst the rain, stepping forward enough to reveal herself to the group, Fiona once again.  
"Oh hi there... fancy meeting you guys here." She greets with an oddly causal demeanor, carrying Kodos' axe, it nearly as big as she is.  
Tails steps forward and frowns a bit, not happy to see that she followed along.  
"Hey, what've you got there lady?" Geoffrey suddenly calls out, noting the specific axe.  
"Oh... this silly thing, yeah... that huge lion guy had it. He can't use it much at the moment considering his muzzle is halfway barried in the concrete." She says with a smirk, dropping the axe with a loud thud.  
"What..." The others looks astonished as Geoffrey leans down to examine the axe, picking it up slowly... it takeing all of his of strength just to hold it up. "Yeah... there's no doubt this ridiculous thing belong to Kodos."  
"Why are you here... and since when did you possess kitsune power?" Tails demands, looking to her.  
"Number one, i've come to help you, because even you can't fight Naugus by yourself in his current state. Two, the elder kitsune knew that they needed a backup plan in case you couldn't live up to filling the shoes of the legend you're supposed to become." She replies to him with a smirk, stepping closer to him.  
"Wow, that's quite a looker there. I wouldn't mind having a piece of her." Nack says boldly.  
"No, you don't want this one... she's quite the psychopath." Tails corrects him.  
"Sticks and stones, Tails... sticks and stones." She says before running off toward the tower, passing Bunnie and Sally in a flash.

The Freedom Fighters soon rejoin together and charge into the building after Fiona.  
"Lets take the stairs. No point in waiting for an elevator." Sonic says, the others running up the stairs after him.

Ixis hears footsteps, and turns around, seeing the mobians charging up to the control room.  
"Ixis, your days of terrorizing Mobius are finished." Tails tells him, stepping towards him.  
"Ah, you've all made it... the vixen included. So nice of you to join me." Naugus rumbles.  
"This isn't a cordial visit, freak! Let the minds of those innocent mobians go!" Fiona demands.  
"That's right, magic man! We've got you surrounded... it's gonna take some trickery to get you out of this one." Sonic chimes in.  
"Little mobians, do you actually think you can defeat me? I have prepared for this very day for over 8 years in that hellhole they call the Void... keeping me locked up in that place was the WORST thing you could have ever done. I learned so much about the very essence of it's existance and virtually became one with it's properties. Now the power of the entire void courses thoughout my body, even though i'm not present in it. You fools are nothing but ants to me now, and I will squash you as such!" He growls out.  
"Absurd, there's no way what you state is true... if you're that powerful then why didn't you just kill us all earlier?" Tails takes a stance.  
"Because, that would have runined the glory of your defeat... I wanted to see you all in person so that you could feel the fear of your imminent doom!" Naugus hisses out.  
"This is crazy, why are you doing this Naugus? ....Why would you just want to kill us all of a sudden... we did nothing to you!" Sally asks with anger.  
"Because, you furballs did NOTHING to free me from that HELL, you're all just as guilty as that fat idiot who ensured I stayed in there!" Nagus spits with malice, his body beginning to glow brightly with a purple aura... the feeling of evil swelling in the air.  
"He's totally mad, Sal... this is going to get ugly. You and Bunnie should get out of here before this wacko blows his top." Sonic says.  
"He's right sally girl, he's right crazy... there's no need for us all ta be up here." Bunnie looks to her as she speaks.  
"Right, the weasel boys and I will get them out of here, proto!" Geoffrey speaks up.  
"Uh, sure thing boss!" Nack agrees at the sudden volunteering.  
They shuffle out with the two girls, Geoffrey pausing to look at Fiona before leaving... her very demeanour stating that she's in on the fight, even Tails is suprised at her dispoistion. They soon climb into the already loaded van and drive off into the distance.

The four warriors stand in a semi-circle around the maddened Naugus in the reminant of the Robotropolis control center. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Fiona.  
Naugus suddenly bursts into manaical laughter, his aura of power continuing to grow increasingly strong... rippling in the air around them all.  
"This is your last chance Naugus, give up your crazed crusade or risk losing everything you've striven for!" Tails demands, growling a bit.  
"You're all fools, even with all four of you there's still virtually no chance you have of beating me! I would never surrender to you tree-hugging twerps. You will die just like your parents did in the Great War, except this time there will be no mistakes... you're ALL going to perish!" The wizard shouts as the power around them grows trememdous, creating a terrifying rumble, debris flying around everywhere along with an incredible spiraling wind.  
"What... what's going on?" Knuckles says, shielding his eyes.  
"This is it... he's really going for it!" Tails shouts out.  
They begin slip back from the maniacal force, the windows around them being shattered out of the building along with the supports above them which soon give way, the top part of the building being thrown out into the maelstrom.  
Knuckles digs his spiked fists into the ground for leverage, while Sonic ends up running in place not to get blown away. Fiona and Tails inflate their powers enough to not be displaced by the horrifying display of power, his yellow aura clashing against her deep blue.

The wizard suddenly lets out an explosive charge of fury with an incredible shout, blowing all four of them away from the tower which ends up ripped to shreads, the fighters landing out into the wreckage with heavy crash.  
Each one crying out from the pain of hitting the ground so hard before struggling back up to their feet, looking back to where the control power used to be... only falling pieces of metal and the wizard's huge aura.  
"Oh man... that is, unreal." Fiona says, brushing herself off.  
"A-are you okay, Fiona?" Tails says as he looks to her, feeling a moment of concern.  
"Yes, i'm fine..." She says half heartedly, staring out toward their agressor as Tails moves toward the other two, helping them up.  
"Sonic, there's no way we can beat this guy... i've never even seen anything like this before, you may be fast and I may be strong, but it'll take all of that and then some to handle this guy." Knuckles calls out to the hegehog.  
"What!? Are you just insisting that we leave and let them handle it?" Sonic getting a bit miffed, not exactly accustomed to the idea of running from a battle.  
"Your friend and the other are much more suited for this kind of fight. I know there's something we can do but... i'm not sure what it is just yet." Knuckles states.  
"Okay then, red... we'll hang back, but if it gets thick in there, i'm goin' back in!" Sonic says, the two maintaining their distance.

Tails and Fiona stand a few feet from each other, frowning as they look upon their foe.  
"That is indeed pretty impressive Naugus... but i'm not convinced quite yet that we're all doomed." Tails suddenly tenses up and exploded into a furious aura of his own, glowing brilliant yellow as he takes super form, Fiona immediately doing likewise right afterwards much to Tails' suprise, her own deep blue flickering violently around here.  
"You know how to do that already?" Tails questions her. "Of course, I didn't intend on being the one who died here today." She mumbles in return.  
"Fools, you have no choice in THAT matter." Naugus forms several big balls of energy around him which convulge into one, creating an energy shield around his body. The lighting flickering intensely in the sky.  
"Even with your current power, I doubt that either of you would have the strength to breach my shield... and as long as I still stand, the weather is still at my disposal."  
A huge torrent of lightening begins to strike around them, both of which dodge as quickly as possible with their enhanced speed and agility... still feeling a slight burn from the lighting, it's incredible frequency keeping them constantly on the move.  
Fiona manages to spot an opening in the field of lighting and fires off a charged shot toward Naugus' shield which it defends against flawlessly, exploding harmlessly just a few inches away from Naugus.  
'Shit! It didn't do a thing... i've gotta find a way to gather more than that without getting fried'  
Tails hears her thoughts and manages to find enough dead space to fire off a quick blast himself, which also fails to even sway the wizard's energy shield.  
"Holy crap... even at super power he's just shrugging it off!" Tails says outloud amidst the torrent of thunder.  
'This isn't going to work Fiona, we've got to think of something.' He sends directly to her telepathically.  
'I know it... lets try doing it at the same time' She replies, bouncing about quickly between the rubble to avoid the strikes.  
They both begin to forward energy to their paws as they continue to narrowly miss being hit by forks of lighting.

Sonic follows the movements with disbelief.  
"Man, this is way cool... they're not only fast but they're acting like it's all happening in slow motion." Sonic watches in aw, cheering them on.  
"Looks like I was right, let's just hope it's enough to stop that creep." Knuckles responds, less enthusiastic.  
The duo continue bouncing around with incredible speed, however, the quickness beginning to lag somewhat as they continue increasing the charge.  
'Okay Fiona... let's do it... right N-... Fiona!!' Tails shudders a bit as he hears her scream, a bolt of lighting tagging her head on, causing her to drop straight to the ground.  
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Did you think you could out-do the speed of light??" Naugus echoes out loudly.  
Tails growls and releases the much bigger charge toward the wizard, tagging the shield once again with a loud flash and bang... covering him entirely in smoke and the lightening suddenly comes to a cease.  
The twin-tail doesn't hesistate, jumping straight over to the downed Fiona, who's still glowing.  
"Fiona... are you okay!?" He calls out loud.  
"Yes i'm okay, you idiot... i'm not helpless here, geez." She grumbles as she presses herself back up to her feet, a bit dazed from the strike.

They both look toward the smoke, wondering of that was seriously enough to do the job.  
As soon as the smoke starts to fade, Naugus' crazed laughter echoes once again, a flash of light appearing before being covered in a firece swirling wind, the debris spiraling up around him in a tornadic fashion, except pushing outward rather than sucking inward.  
"Your efforts to beat me are laughable... now I think i'll simply blow you away!" He cackles out, the winds taking a high gail.  
Sonic and Knuckles duck down in the distance as the wind picks up so fast as the two foxes struggle to hold their ground... the wind blowing a great deal of debris.  
Tails covers himself with his arms as he sees a big chunk of concrete flying at him, which breaks over him into many pieces, pressing him back as well.  
"Oh yeah... THAT hurt!" He groans out, knowing that if he hadn't been powered up that it would have killed him.  
The winds pick up even further, whirring loudly like a giant frieght train.  
'I... can't... hold on much... longer!' Tails sends out.  
'Tails, i've got an idea... he's not shielding himself, if we can get blasts in their right now he'd have to drop the spin to defend himself.' Fiona replies.  
'Okay, let's do it.' He replies, suddenly charging up another quick shot, the other doing the same, both sending the waves of energy surging through the swirling winds.  
Just as the spin slows so that the wizard can defend himself, two beams of energy are actually shot out in a counter attack... tearing through the kitsune's blasts and out toward them, which they narrowly evade.  
"Fools, I can do that too! Oh and just so you know... I can hear everything you're saying telepathically... i'm a psionic too, to say the least." Naugus says with a grin as the winds fade down fully once again.  
Tails and Fiona both cringe at hearing that.  
"Damn, I was afraid of that." Tails says with a growl.

The two other onlookers plot a way in on this, knowing that the others need help.  
"Man, we gotta do something Knux. What they need is a distraction!" Sonic says, yet before Knuckles can reply he spots something on the horizon.  
"Sonic... I think we just found a distraction, to say the least." He motions upward above the fight to the hovering robot.  
"Woah, that must that Metallix, look-alike thing." He says.  
It doesn't take long for the other three to see what's above them.  
"Oh man, there's the damned robot... this is just not my day." Tails says, Fiona frowning deeply as the mechanical foe hovers above them, scanning down over them with his sensors.  
"Hegehog spotted... wait, what is this. New primary objective aquired... Standing order #33: Terminate Ixis Naugus on sight." The robot mutters before suddenly falling out of the air, dive bombing toward Naugus.  
Naugus quickly notices the hurdling robot and teleports just out of the way, the others jumping back as the fallen robot makes a considerable crater in the ground from his sudden descent, standing back up the moment it impacts the ground.  
"What... what are you doing robot!? I am not your foe, the hedgehog is!" Naugus calls out annoied.  
"Incorrect, Sonic hedgehog AND Ixis Naugus are valid targets... You will be terminated first due to inflated risk assesment. Prepare for extermination." The robot drones.

The wizard growls with fraustration.  
"Robotnik, you incompetent fool! ...so that's what the little one meant by incomplete programming, I was also still considered a target on this old model. No matter, I will just send you back to the junk heap and resume where I left off." He sneers.  
The robot suddenly charges the wizard who suddenly sends a huge bolt of lightning straight from his claw hand, which strikes the robot dead on with loud crack of thunder, but ultimatly does nothing to slow the robot down. It slams head on in to the wizard who is sent hurdling back into a large pile of rubble.  
"Oh yeah! ....I hate to admit it but I am totally cheering on that bucket of bolts. That thing may just finish the job itself." Tails grins.  
"Hmm, it is oddly competent for a pre-Doomsday model. A bolt of lighting of that calibur should have totally fried it." Fiona replies, watching the spectacle with her trademark smirk.  
Metallix scans over the debris for signs of life below, just to find something. Suddenly Naugus shouts out in fury as huge light emits from the junk pile, Naugus emerging with a loud bang and soaring into the air.  
"Useless junk! You're doing little more than irritating me! If that one wasn't good enough, then just try and supress this one!" The wizard clusters his claw hand and normal hand together, electrical power beginning to arch out all around him as it charges up from the one central point.  
The robot senes what's happening, staring up at the wizard with a blank red stare.  
"Detected energy level far exceeds anything on record, developing alternate plan." It droned aloud.  
"Plan all you want, as long as you are metal, you'll draw this one straight to you!" He sudden lets go, an enormous beam of electrical energy hurdling towards the robot.  
Tails and Fiona cringe a bit, feeling just how much power is in that beam.  
"We've gotta stay out of the way of wherever that crazy thing lands, it's going to blow the be-jebus out of everything around it!" Tails calls out, Fiona nodding... both flying back to where the other two are, standing in awe... their fur standing on end from more than their acended forms.

Sonic looks to them as they end up back near them, about 20 yards from where the action is taking place now.  
"Yes, that's it... just stand there! Your AI can't help you now!" The wizard laughs evilly as the oddly slow moving beam nears it's area of impact.  
The robot suddenly unfolds a shield-looking object as nearly as big as it is, holding firm ground.  
"Reflector shield online, alternate ground-link established, auxillary power to shield array... brace for impact." The robot drones as it takes the hit dead on, the mystic force from it destorting the senses and shifting the whole machine back somewhat.  
"Energy exceeds reflection capability, rerouting for emergency absorbtion." The machine drones out once again, the eletric based attack beginning to fade against the shield as it processes the power internally.  
"Ah ha ha ha ha!! What are you seriously trying to do? Your circuitry can't possibly handle that much power."  
The robot beginning to smoke, the eyes glowing with incredible brilliance. It begins to visibly malfunction before suddenly regaining it's stability.  
"Hmm... what now... did it break down?" Knuckles asks.  
"No, I still feel all that energy coming from it." Tails speaks.  
The robot suddenly turns it's vision back up to Naugus, a few strange flickers of power coming from around the brightly glowing eyes sensor befor it suddenly unleashes all of the power back at the wizard in the form of it's very eyes lasers... creating a huge beam from the circuitry that bangs out with fury.  
"What... NOO IT CAN'T BE-AUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!" The wizard crys out in pain, appearing to disappear amidst the huge beam of radioactive light.

The four heroes look up in awe at what they just saw.  
"Malfunction... core temperature overheating... hardware failure immine-." The robot's droning cut off as the entire unit falls over, the glow fading from the machine as it continues smoking, the smell of burnt silicone filling the air.  
"Do you see Naugus anywhere, Fiona?" She looks around, using all of her senses... Tails doing likewise.  
The clouds suddenly begin to disappate, showing that the wizard's control of the area is breaking.  
"No, I don't sense anything... he's gone. Even his magic control of the area is breaking away."  
Knuckles laughs out.  
"Well, of all the irony... looks like bucket head came through for us this one time." The echinda.  
"Yeah... THIS is one for the ol' history books! Right bro?" He says placing a paw on Tails' shoulder, of which the raging super form energy feeling incredibly warm on his appendage... soon letting it regress, Fiona doing likewise.  
"You betcha, Sonic." He smiles before turning to look to them.

Now that the storm is breaking, a voice is suddenly heard over the communicators, first coming in staticy... then more clear.  
"This is the Knothole, Sonic, Tails, please come in." Tails blinks, almost forgetting that he was wearing the thing the entire time... also shocked that it's still working.  
"I hear ya Sal'." Sonic replies.  
"Oh, thank goodness you're alright Sonic... what about Tails?"  
"I'm here too, Sally." He replies.  
"I'm so relieved, the interference from the storm was so bad that we couldn't get a single signal through from the outside." They hear from the communicator.  
"Naugus is gone Sal... and you're never going to believe how it happened!" He says, chuckling.

They continue talking over the commnicator while Tails looks over, seeing Fiona walking away. He immediately runs after her and stops just in front of her.  
"Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going?" She doesn't answer, just walks past him, brushing up against his shoulder as she moves past him.  
"Oh... so that's how it's going to be, huh?" He frowns a bit to her.  
She stops and lowers her head a bit.  
"What do you want anyway? I can tell you still have great contempt for me... so why worry about me or what I do?" She replies, back still turned to him.  
"Because, I still have questions... and most of all I still want an answer as to why and how you became like me!" She just shakes her head.  
"It doesn't matter... I have done my part here and i'm heading off." She says dismissingly and begins to walk away again.  
Tails begins to recall that fateful day, growling out.  
"Damn you... what the hell is your problem!? Do you even remember, HUH? ...or did the single day that traumatized me the most of any in my life seem to have slipped from your mind!?"  
Fiona freezes up and shudders a bit.  
"Idiot, i'll never be able to FORGET that day!" She hisses out.  
"I can't believe this... by you becoming the other kitsu-mobian, that practically means we're betroved to each other. You, of ALL mobians!" He suddenly tenses up, drawing out power and beginning to glow again, just shy of super form.

She turns around, wide eyed... looking at Tails and seeing such malice in his eyes. The others pause and looks over, seeing the tension growing over there.  
"Wh-what are you doing Tails?" She asks, drawing up her own power out of fear.  
"You told me, that nobody could ever love me if I didn't even have the courage to resist them. I was so absorbed into your aritifical charms that I couldn't manage and you laughed at more for it! I was barely able to hold my head up for YEARS after that and I had to go in for therapy to get in touch with the world again... all because of your arrogant nonsense. Well guess what, Fiona, that's no longer an issue!" He suddenly charges up a considerable ball of energy in his paw.  
"Tails... you can't be serious, that was then and this is now... things are different!" She shudders a bit as she notices his charge.  
"No, i'm holding you up to your words... now EAT THEM." He suddenly launches the explosive charge against Fiona, who then goes flying several yards into one of the still standing building remains, bashing clear in through the wall of the structure which literally topples down on top of her.  
"Oooh... oh no... I... didn't mean to strike her that hard!" He says, feeling afraid that he might have seriously hurt her... running over to the rubble.  
"Fiona! Fiona! Can you hear me!?" He shouts out.

The other two quickly run over, looking around the rubble as well.  
"What did you have to go and to that for, little buddy!?" Sonic says a bit shocked.  
"I'm sorry... i'm sorry... I just lost my head there. Oh, please be okay in there Fiona." As soon as he says that she blows away a bit the wall of debris with blast of her own, stepping out of the rubble, the three shielding their eyes as she walks out.  
Her body is cut in several places and she's totally gritting her teeth in anger. Tails looks at her, feeling a bit frightful.  
'Now look at what you've done...' He thinks to himself, stepping back.  
She suddenly takes a deep breath, letting power dischage again and looking down for a moment.  
"Fiona, i'm..." Tails says appologetically, ears laid back before she immediately starts to laugh.  
"Oh... ha ha ha ha, you little devil... ah ha ha ha ha ha ha." She shakes a finger, trying to muffle her laughter with the other paw.  
Tails frowns a bit, letting his arms droop.  
"Err... yeah, i'm glad you find this humorous." He mumbles. Sonic and Kunckles just look at each other with confusion.  
"Ha ha ha ha ha.... oooh yeah. I so knew you would get my back for that one day... I just didn't think it would be with so much passion. That look on your face, you looked like you would've blown up half of the planet just to get me." She finally takes an extended sigh, regaining her composure again.  
"Soo... uhhh... everything okay over here?" Sonic says, rubbing the back of his neck in awkward moment.  
Fiona smiles to them. "Couldn't be better... it's time to get going, right Tails?" She says, dragging her paw up over his cheek as she walks by.  
"Yeah... let's get out of here, looks like they rounded up most of the mob anyway." Kuckles says.

Just as they move out, rushing back to where the plane landed another voice comes up on the radio.  
"Rotor to Sonic, Rotor to Tails, what in the world is going on out there? I've been sitting around in the Winged Victory waiting for someone to show up over here!" He says, actually sounding impatient.  
"We're on our way, Rotor... just got a bit side-tracked." Tails replies back.  
"Yeah, see you in a flash, Rot." Sonic replies as well as the run up to where they landed... spotting the walrus standing next to the biplane.  
"There you guys are... I was starting to worry." He says.  
"Alright, i'm riding with you guys this time!" Sonic says, jumping up onto the wing.  
"Likewise, I can't quite move as fast as these guys." Knuckles says as well, jumping onto the other side of the wing.  
Tails jumps up into the passanger seat.  
"Huh? You're not going to fly Tails?" Rotor asks.  
"Nope, it looks like you make a good pilot yourself, Rotor... so i'll pass." He says, Fiona jumping up and landing in his lap.  
"Well, uhhh, I guess that settles where she's gonna set." Sonic says, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.  
"Fiona! This things really aren't meant for two to sit in the same seat." He adds as Fiona mockingly kicks back, as if sitting in a recliner.  
"I can manage... besides this fox-furred seat is pretty comfy." She says with a grin, Tails shifting a bit beneath her uncomfortably.  
The three others just laugh, Rotor slipping up into plane as well... starting the engine and making their take off.

"Rotor to knothole, we're on our way."


	9. Chapter 9

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 14, 3241 - Late Spring (Flashbacks are in July 22nd, 3224)  
- - - - - -

Chapter 8 - Returning Home

"Tails to Knothole. Tails to Knothole." Tails speaks into the radio.  
Rotor is listening on the other end. He picks it up. "Knothole responding. What's your status, T2?"  
"Mobotropolis has been liberated. Ixis is on the run, and the people want to rebuild their city." He tells them.  
"That's great news! I'll tell the King." Rotor says.  
"Well, tell him that Ixis and Robotnik are also intending on burning down our forest for fuel. I'll explain when we get back." Tails speaks.  
"Very well." Rotor replies, not liking the last part of Tails' message.  
Tails flies straight for the Great Forest, when he sees something to the east leading from the city of Mobotropolis, into the Forest.  
"T2 to weasels. What is that on the ground to the east?" Tails asks.  
"Looks like a construction crew of some sort." Nack replies.  
"I'm checking this out. You guys get to Knothole, and tell the others they're in danger. Snively's right." Tails says, flying straight.  
"Tails, I thouht were were going to stop them." Sonic asks.  
"We are, Sonic. My plane's almost out of fuel, though." He replies.  
"We don't have time to go back to Knothole. We'll have to jump from here. Can you bring us in lower, Tails?" He asks.  
"Can-do, True Blue." Tails replies, bringing the plane to around 20 feet above the roadway. He slows the cruising speed to 120 kilometers per hour.  
"Alright, guys. I can't go any lower or slower without crashing. Good luck!" he says.  
"We'll see ya in a bit, T2." Sonic says.  
Bunnie, Knuckles, Sonic, and Sally time their jump precisely, and leap from the plane, to a safe landing on the pavement. Tails looks back to see that they're alright. He then picks up speed and altitude to head back to Knothole.  
"Tails to Weasels. I'm heading back to knothole. Almost out of fuel. Proceed with me into the village. We'll alert King Acorn." Tails instructs them over the radio.  
Nack hits the gas on the van again, and heads back into the Great Forest.  
Sonic then takes out his pair of binoculars.  
"Oh god, no..." He says, watching the robotic construction crew cutting down the trees, lighting some on fire.  
"How many are there, Sonic?" Sally asks.  
"Only a few dozen. We should be able to take 'em." He smirks.  
"Here's the plan, then. I'll disable their machinery. You guys have to distract or restrain the robots." Sally Says. They approach the crews, but discover it's not Swat Bots or construction robots, but roboticized furs.  
"Robians??? This is sickening." Sonic says.  
"How do we stop 'em from cuttin' down our beloved trees?" Bunnie asks.  
"We neutralize them and I'll destroy their hardware." Sally says.  
"How do we do that?" Knuckles asks.  
"Sonic has a Power Ring in his backpack. We know that power rings can help robians regain their free will.  
"I got it right here." Sonic says, taking his ring out, showing his friends before putting it back in.  
"Good. Let's go." Sally instructs them. "We need to be careful, guys. We could be walking into a trap, or get ambushed." Sally tells Sonic.  
As if someone was reading her mind, some roboticized furries see them as they work the road and forestry equipment. A few hop down, and walk towards Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. One of the robians is Tails' father (Amadeus Prower.  
The robian that was Amadeus Prower steps in front of the rest, looking particularly hostile.  
"Surrender. Priority One: Capture Hedgehog." he says in his robotic, monotone voice.  
"Alright. Let's get to work." Sally says, hopping aboard one of the pavement machines. He quickly disables the machine, and hops to the next one, repeating her actions, with Knuckles and Bunnie providing defenses for her while she works.  
"Sal-gal, how's progress on those machines?" Sonic asks as he fends off some of the Robians.  
He knocks a couple out cold. Bunnie, Knuckles and Wes try to cover Tails, by surrounding him while he disables their massive machinery.  
"Almost done, Sonic. Just have two more to go..." She says, hopping up into one of the two automated forest harvesters.  
The female squirrel looks around the control panel quickly for any sort of "emergency stop" or "abort" button.  
"There it is!" She says, pressing it, causing the forest harvesters to shut down.  
"Sonic, I'm done here." Sally says.  
She helps fight back with Bunnie and Knuckles, as the Robians try to capture them. The blue hedgehog runs over and body-checks one of the Robians.  
"We're done here. Maybe we should get back to Knothole?" Knuckles asks.  
"Alright! I'll get us there in no time!" the very enthusiastic hedgehog proclaims.  
He starts to run, but is surrounded by the robots and roboticized furries again. This time, Amadeus stops and holds his hand out in front of Sonic, like a traffic-cop. Sonic comes to a quick halt as he carries sally.  
"Uh... we have a problem."  
"What's that?" Sally asks.  
"Stop at once, for Lord Robotnik." He announces. If the roboticized fox could growl, he would be doing so.  
Sonic holds sally close to him in her arms, guarding and protecting her with his life as the Robian surround them and come closer.  
"Robotnik must have become an even greater sicko lately. The robots approaching aren't swatbots, but roboticized mobians!" He growls, very angrily.  
"Sonic, don't use your bombs against them... Let me think of how to neutralize them without hurting them..." Sally tells her friend as he goes to reach back for another metal bomb. Sonic looks closely at the silver-brown robotic fox approaching them, apparently the leader of their squadron.  
"Sally... Why does that one robian look familiar?" He whispers to her."  
"I'm not sure." Sonic says, being reminded of his little "brother" Tails for some reason by this robot.  
At once, something clicks inside his brain, the pieces all falling into place.  
"My goodness... that's Tails' father! What do we do?" He asks her.  
The robotic fox pauses briefly at the word "Tails", unnoticed to the two Freedom Fighters.  
"I don't know, Sonic... I know we can't leave him here... perhaps uncle chuck can restore his free will..." She tells him.  
"I hope so. I'll get Dulcy to take him back." He says, coming up with a plan.  
"But how will we neutralize him? He'll attack Dulcy once he sees her. She's a Freedom Fighter." Sally says.  
"Hm. That's a problem." the hedgehog says. He then gets an idea.  
"Sal! My power ring! pass it to me, please." He says.  
Sally reaches into his backpack and gives him the power ring, unsure of what Sonic has in store. He holds out the power ring towards Amadeus, who tells the rest of the robots to stand back.  
"Sonic, are you crazy? He'll take the ring back to Robotnik and he'll use it against us!" She tells him as the robian reaches out towards the ring.  
"No, he won't, sal. I won't let go of it." He grins, holding tight and re-affirming his grasp on the power ring.  
Amadeus reaches out to the other end, grasping onto it with a grin, looking somewhat scary with his red electric eyes.  
"Do you surrender, Sonic and Sally?" He asks the hedgehog and chipmunk by name.  
"Nope, but I have something better for you." The hedgehog replies.  
"The location of Knothole?" Amadeus says, very annoyed.  
He starts to rab the ring, pulling it a bit closer to him.  
"Nope. It's your son, Tails." Sally says, hoping this jars the fox's memories.  
"I don't have a son. I'm a robot sworn to protect Robotnik and his blossoming empire." Amadeus replies, his memories completely erased and brainwashed by Robotnik's sinister processes of roboticization.  
"You don't *remember* your own son, Tails?" Sonic asks the fox, pulling the ring a bit closer to him.  
He starts to think to himself as he holds the power ring, grasping it hard to use its energy.  
"Please work. Please restore Tails' dad's free will. Please, power ring. Work!" He thinks to himself as the ring starts to glow a bit.  
"Sonic, he was captured the day Tails was born. I don't think he ever saw him." Sally tells sonic, whose ears perk up and eyes go wide from hearing that.  
"'Buttnik, You'll pay for that." Sonic growls and whispers to himself, concentrating.  
"You don't know your son, Miles Prower?" Sonic asks the fox, using Tails' real name.  
The ring starts to work, glowing brightly.  
"I--I..." Amadeus stumbles for words through his memory banks, as he flashes back through his life, beginning to recall everything, before things go completely white in his vision for a split second.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a nice summer's day in Mobotropolis, as it was once, properly, known as back in 3219. The Riverfront Park was filled with people for a commemmoration by none other than King Maximillian Acorn himself!  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to thank you all for coming here on this fine day, from all across the land, to our great city. We in the government are honouring those that fought against tyranny and fascism in the Great War. Some are here with is, and sadly, some are not. But this is the reason we are thanking them: their efforts will NEVER be forgotten!" He speaks into the microphone, with a group of furs standing in a row behind him.  
The proudest of all is General Amadeus Prower, 52nd Infantry Division, a fox male from Knothole. He is aged 21, and expecting a child any day now. He beams with pride of serving his country, saving his king, and his loving wife from death in the war.  
"I wish to honour those that have not survived to this day, after the war. Supreme General Ian Saint John was killed in the line of duty while evacuating my family to the Sky Sanctuary Zone on the Floating Island." The king speaks of the highest-ranking fur killed in battle, the third-in-command of the Mobian Armed Forces.  
He also tells of Sir Jules Hedgehog, an ace pilot killed in battle, among many others. Amadeus recalls Jules and Ian, his best friends since they were pups. He even wipes away a tear, knowing of the grief Ian's family goes through. His wife and eight-year-old son, Geoffrey are left behind without a father. Amadeus, however, is not without battle scars. When the battle was raging into its third year, he was leading a crack team of commandos to destroy the First Mobian Bridge across the Mobotropolis Bay, when an overlander sniper shot him in the head, losing his vision in his left eye. He survived with the quick-thinking actions of Sir Charles Hedgehog, uncle of Sonic The Hedgehog.  
He looks back up, seeing Ian's wife stepping from the front of the line as the King introduces her to the podium, adorning her and her son Geoffrey with the Mobian Medal of Honour.  
"Thank you, Sire." She says, holding her son's hand, both looking very sad, understandably.  
"Miss Saint John, Geoffrey, the Kingdom of Mobius is forever grateful for Ian's duty. He protected the royal family, my family. He died for his country to save you, and the rest of us." He says as he gives her and Geoffrey a comforting hug after saluting each other.  
The tone of the commemmoration so far, has been very low-key, solemn, if not repsectful and mourning of those that lost their lives. It is not of the "tailgate party", or the "victory festival" that many furs thought it would be. Amadeus shakes himself out of his daze, reminding himself he's thankful for his friend Sir harles Hedgehog for being there at all.  
"Next, I wish to honour a very tactical and crafty fox. His bravery and intelligence saved the Kingdom from certain destruction, by destroying a bridge before advancing troops could capture and use it. His personal sacrifice is recognized by my government. General Amadeus Prower, I wish to bestow upon you and your family, the Golden Badge of Courage." He says, pinning the badge onto the fox's vest, next to his other military credentials.  
"Thank you, sire. I was just doing my duty to protect my kingdom and way of life." He replies honestly, being a very humble and modest fox.  
"Your actions are most appreciated, General Prower. An echidna guard approaches King Max with a message.  
"Sir, Amadeus is needed at the Mobotropolis Central Hospital." The echidna tells the king. Max then turns to Amadeus.  
"You're needed at the hospital, my friend." He tells him with a smile.  
Amadeus nods his head and salutes his king, returned with a salute from him. They shake hands and the fox walks off the stage in the park. He walks through the parking lot to his car and opens the door. He starts his vehicle and backs out carefully, shifting into drive. He plans to make it a few minutes later at the hospital, when his cellular phone rings. He stops at a red light in downtown and answers.  
"Hello, this is Amadeus Prower." He says.  
"Amadeus, this is Julian Kintobor. There are secret classified war documents in my laboratory that need to be sorted and either destroyed, or de-classified. You're needed immediately!" The human replies.  
"Are you sure no one else can handle it, Julian? I'm on my way to the hospital. My wife's going to have her cub any minute now!" The fox tells the warlord.  
"Congratulations, Amadeus! However, I'm sorry. You know I need a second signature and person to do this." He says, stating actual protocol. Amadeys closes his eyes and nods with a sighs.  
"I'll be at the castle in a few minutes." He says, hanging up. He turns his left-turn signal on and turns towards the castle with traffic. On the other end of the cellular phone, Julian starts to laugh.  
"Very soon." He says to himself.  
"Very soon, what, Uncle Julian?" a whiny nasal voice asks.  
"Snively, do NOT call me that. You are to call me Lord Robotnik when the furs are not around. Do you UNDERSTAND me?" He stares down his shorter nephew, who is cowering from his uncle's wrath.  
"Y-yes, sir." He says softly.  
"Good. Now, to answer your question... within a few minutes, the roboticizer that I have perfected will be ready to test on a living, breathing person." He chuckles.  
"I understand, sir... but why Sir Amadeus Prower?" Snively asks.  
"His resourcefulness, intelligence and ingenuity are things I badly need to train my robotic army. With him in the lead of them, under your direction, I'll take over very quickly." Julian replies.  
Amadeus walks in a few short minutes later.  
"Good afternoon, Warlord Julian, Assistant Snively." he nods to both of them.  
"Let's please make this quick. My wife's going to have her cub any minute and I want to be there for them both." He says. Snively approaches him and shakes his hand.  
"Congratulations, General Prower! You must be so proud!" he says enthusiastically but honestly, shaking his hand. The fox is slightly ruffled from this, but fine otherwise.  
"I-I am. Anyway, let's get to work on these documents, gentlemen." Amadeus says.  
Julian steps a bit cloesr to him. Something about him today just doesn't seem right. The whole scenario doesn't seem right for some reason. A part of the fox's better instincts tell him to bolt for the door. His life is in grave danger. He ignores it and shrugs it off as just memories resurfacing from the commemmoration earlier.  
"Amadeus, they are in this room. Follow me." Julian steps through the door and walks down the hall.  
He enters a classified room. Amadeus raises an eyebrow, as no one normally goes in there without the King himself present.  
"After you, sir." He says, knowing something's up, and doesn't want to fall for any traps.  
"Very well." Julian replies to the smart fox, walking in first, with Snively following him, shutting the door.  
The short fellow then withdraws a Luger hand gun.  
"Now, don't try anything funny, furball." Snively says.  
Amadeus steps back, hands in a defensive stance.  
"Julian, arrest him!" Amadeus asks his superior to fulfill his duty to protect the crown.  
Instead, Robotnik pulls out his own Colt .45 millimeter handgun.  
"I don't think that will happen, fox." He chuckles. Amadeus stands down, being unarmed, and with traitors in his midst.  
"Amadeus, come with me." Julian says, moving behind him, the gun against the fox's back.  
"I won't hesitate to paint the walls with your blood." He says into the fox's ear.  
Amadeus folds his ear back from hearing this, walking forward with him.  
"What do you want from me, Julian? Is this about the commemoration?" Amadeus inquires, getting a couple of laughs in reply.  
"Oh no, Amadeus. It's about something far bigger than that." Robotnik tells the fox.  
"A couple of arrogant hyenas. That is what's holding me hostage." He thinks to himself.  
They approach the until-then abandoned Roboticizer prototype that Sir Charles built. The difference is that it looks perfected.  
"What do you plan on doing with this? How do I fit in with this machine?" The fox inquires.  
"You are going to step inside, stupid canid." Snively tells him, with a hateful glare from Julian.  
"And if I don't?" Amadeus asks. Julian steps closer to him.  
"Your blood will become a nice new coat of paint for these walls, and I'll have a nice fur coat to wear." He chuckles.  
Amadeus growls back to him, snarling.  
"You monster! I'll show you who wears me!" he lunges for Julian, who swats him and sends him flying into the wall.  
Amadeus hits his head and blacks out briefly. He awakens in shackles, his military suit taken off of him, and his head hurting a great deal. He sees that he's stuck in the roboticizer.  
"Let me out of here!" He yells, pounding on the glass with his fists, still not completely aware of what is going on.  
"Snively, throw the switch and end his life as an organic being." He chuckles. Amadeus tries in vain to break his way out of the chamber, hearing the machine turning on.  
"Snively! Don't throw that switch!" He yelps, almost dislocating his right shoulder when he charges the plastic alloy chamber door.  
Snively simply walks to the other side of it, pointing his gun between the fox's eyes, before laughing and putting it back on the table. Robotnik simply grins as he watches the fox try to escape, proud of his newphew's actions.  
"Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" Amadeus asks from inside the roboticizer.  
"I'm going to use this machine to experiment on you. If it works, it will turn you into my lead army robot, Prower. You will train my other robots to lead a revolt against the King, and throw him into the Zone of Silence. After that, I'll become the supreme ruler of this planet. I won't even stop there, either. With my robotic army, I will then set my eyes on the stars..." Robotnik tells the fox, almost daydreaming towards the end.  
The fat future dictator then snaps out of it and turns to Snively.  
"Do it." He orders his smaller nephew.  
The chamber starts to warm up. Amadeus can feel the magnetic waves increasing dramatically as electrical current surges throught he machine, his whole body starting to tremble in fear as his fur stands on end.  
"Oh god, no! Rosemary, I'm sorry." He lowers his head.  
Pain then surges through his body, causing the poor young adult fox to howl out. His body begins changing from carbon-based to silicon-titanium-based, right down to the cellular level. He enters such pain that he cannot even move, every part of his body being transformed into a mindless slave. The last thing he sees in his mind, are his loving wife, King Max granting him the Medal of Courage, and the two traitors to the realm ending his life as a living creature. He sees electricity shooting out all around him, surrounding him as he blacks out.  
Just as soon as the pain surges through his organic body, it ceases. The chamber door opens with a bit of steam flushing out.  
"Well, well. Let me see if my little "experiment" worked, Snively." Julian says, inspecting Amadeus.  
The large human checks the robotic fox from his head, ears, muzzle, down to his feet and tail. He speaks to the robian known as Amadeus, eye to eye with him.  
"Who is your new Lord and Master?" Julian asks the robotic fox. "Lord Robotnik is my controller and master." The former fox replies. He starts to laugh insanely.  
"It worked! Snively, it is time we put my plans of domination into action." He says.  
Snively nods slowly, still somewhat frightened of his uncle. He fears that he may be next to share a similar fate.  
"Sir, what shall we do with Amadeus? What of his family?" He asks.  
"Amadeus? He was in a car accident and severely burned. We used this machine that Sir Charles was so kind to give us, to save his life. However, there were a few problems maintaining free will, as Sir Charles had previously described." he grins.  
"This is a great plan, sir. One of most high genius." Snively says, sucking up to his uncle.  
"Snively, shut up." He replies, dressing Amadeus back up in his clothes.  
"I think we should pay Rosemary a visit." He says, walking with Amadeus out the door.  
The fox starts his car with Julian in the passenger seat, and snively in the back. He drives towards the hospital, aware of his actions, but unable to stop them. Outside, he shows no emotion, being robotic, rather than human. Inside his head, however, his mind and soul reside within his roboticized brain. He is crying unconsolobly inside.  
"I'm sorry, Rosemary! I'm sorry for failing you! This is a fate worse than death! I should have just had them shoot me. Now i'm a danger to you and our child! I'm hideous and unlovable now! I'm sorry. I beg of you and our child for forgiveness." He thinks to himself. He tries to resist as Julian's programming takes over the routines in his head, shutting down his last bits of resistance. He watches as the Robotnik pulls into the parking lot of the Hospital and turns the car off.  
"Good. Open the door, and walk with us to see your wife, Prower. Let her know that everything's fine." He growls, opening the door as he and Snively get out.  
They walk into the lobby, where Julian tells the fox "respond to others as if you were yourself, Prower." The fox nods and walks up to the receptionist, altering his voice patterns to sound close to normal.  
"I'm sorry. I got here as soon as I could. I'm here to see my wife." He says.  
The mongoose at the desk replies "Room 329. take the first elevator then hit a left."  
Amadeus walks with Robotnik and snively towards the elevator, and ride it up to the third floor.  
"Do you know what will happen to your family, Prower?" The fox remains at attention in the elevator, emotionless.  
This is just how Julian wants his robotic slaves.  
"She and your child will end up like you, mindless robotic drones, whose only purpose is to serve me. After all, I'm not one to keep family members separated." He laughs.  
In his mind, Amadeus is going absolutely insane from what Robotnik is saying.  
"All living things on Mobius will bow to their new ruler. And when I get old, I'll roboticize myself if I can maintain my own free will, to make sure my rule is permanent." Robotnik says to Amadeus and Snively.  
"Sir, We must not arouse attention. We're in a Hospital." Snively interrupts his uncle.  
"Snively, don't interrupt me when I'm talking." He says, as the doors open.  
The two humans and fox walk into Rosemary's room, Rosie the Nanny and a couple canine doctors are observing her, having given birth already to their son with two tails.  
"Amadeus! I'm so glad you could make it." She says, cradling her pup in her arms, wrapped in a blanket.  
"Doesn't he have your ears?" She asks him.  
The sight of his beautiful newborn foxcub causes Amadeus to break down inside, wishing he could actually meet him, instead of being a prisoner of his own body.  
"Yes, he does, my dear. I just don't want to get close because I have a slight cold." He lies.  
"I understand hun." She replies, cradling her cub closely.  
"I think I'll name him Miles." She smiles to him.  
"That's a lovely name." He replies.  
"I do hate to cut this short, but we have a great deal of work to resume with back at Castle Acorn." Julian Says.  
"Um... Alright..." She says, laying back in bed with her cub as the three exit the room. She then turns to Rosie, the royal nanny, a chipmunk.  
"Rosie, I don't trust Julian or snively. And Amadeus isn't acting himself. He didn't even look right, either..." she says.  
"I know, dear. I know. Something's not right." The elderly chipmunk replies.  
"I can feel something bad is going to happen, but I'm afraid for my cub. If something ever happens, please take Miles to our hideout in Knothole Village." She asks her friend.  
"Of course I will, Rosemary." Rosie smiles warmly to her, with an almost motherly or grandmotherly aura about her.  
Snively and Robotnik then turn to the roboticized fox.  
"If you behave and serve me completely, I *may* spare your wife and son." Robotnik glares to Amadeus, who replies obediently.  
"Yes, sir." Inside, he snarls.  
The robotic fox is ready to lunge at the large human for even mentioning his wife and child, but is unable to, restrained by the coding in his robotic mind.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sonic places sally down, standing next to her as the robians start to close in again. About three seconds later, Sonic breaks the silence to the still robian, grasping the Power Ring with him.  
"I'll ask again, General Prower. You don't even remember your own son?" Sonic growls. The robian fox's eyes glow intensely from red, slowly fading towards a dull blue colour. His vision scrambles and goes static before seeing Sonic in true-colour vision, much like a living person would.  
"Sonic, what's wrong with him?" Sally asks.  
"I don't know... I think he's coming to. Come on, General Prower... fight it. FIGHT IT!" he replies, eagerly cheering the fox on.  
He watches as the fox places both of his paws on his head and doubles over, growling lowly before releasing his head from his hands.  
"S-sonic? Is that you? where am I? What on Mobius happened?" The fox asks.  
Sally and Sonic look at each other in astonishment as his free will is apparently restored.  
"Welcome back, Mister Prower. Robuttnik turned you into one of his mindless robotic slaves." Sonic says angrily. Sally then helps him up.  
"We're bringing Robotnik down, sir. It's good to have you back with us." She says, shaking his metallic paw.  
"Robotnik?" He asks.  
"You know him as Julian, but he's pure evil." Sonic tells him. A roboticized leopard then snarls and pounces her, shackling her hands together.  
"Sonic! Help! Let go of me!" She yells, trying to struggle and break free from the robian.  
Amadeus then grasps the leopard with incredible strength and tosses him off of the Princess.  
"All of you, STAND DOWN NOW." He orders his brigade of controlled robians.  
"LINE UP!" He shouts.  
"Sir, do they have free will?" Sonic asks.  
"No, sonic. Robotnik put me in control of this troup of Robians. He's (a sick bastard) playing mind games now. He's not using his swatbots or Combots anymore. He's using Robians against furries now. We are his mind-controlled soldiers, and very dangerous since we are your brothers, sisters, friends and family. Your loved ones. He is going to play your emotions agianst you by using your own friends to kill you. He knows that you would be hesitant or even unable to strike your friends, so his army would be nearly unstoppable. He has hundreds of regiments like my own. About 390,000 furs in all." Amadeus tells them.  
"There's no way we're going to let that happen, right sal?" Sonic snarls.  
"No way, Sonic." She replies.  
"You two had better act quick. Julian-- err, Robotnik, isn't wasting time with this plan." Amadeus tells the two furs as he groups up his robotic comrades.  
"Mister Prower, what will you do? We won't leave you or the Robians here." Princess Sally asks.  
"I will handle them. They will stand down and surrender to the Freedom Fighters." Amadeus says.  
"Sounds like a plan." Sonic and Sally say to the robotic fox, placing their hands together.  
The Freedom Fighters head their separate ways, Amadeus ordering his troop "after the hedgehog" towards the Great Forest, knowing they will give him total obedience from Robotnik's programming. Sonic starts to run off towards the doomsday machine with Sally, bombs in tow inside his backpack.  
"What are we going to tell Tails?" Sonic asks sally.  
"We'll have to worry about that when we come to it. We have greater threats right now." She replies.  
Sonic nods his head in agreement as he runs, looking back to make sure the robians are chasing him.  
Bunnie and Knuckles lead the Robians to Knothole, with Sonic and Sally.  
"Alright, Rotor. We're back. We need y'all to open up the Great Oak Slide." She says.  
Rotor hears her and he opens up the slide.  
"Come on down, Bunnie." He replies.  
The walrus stands back as his friends land.  
"Now, Rotor. We captured several Robians. They are under our control, so they won't attack us or try to capture us." Sally tells him.  
He watches as the Robians enter Knothole through the slide. One looks familiar to him.  
"Who is that? Why does he have a power ring?" He asks Sonic and Sally about the roboticized fox holding a power ring.  
"That's Amadeus. He's a robian we found in Mobotropolis. Sonic was able to help him regain his free will." Sally tells Rotor and Bunnie.  
"Amadeus... Amadeus? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Tails wonders to himself as he approaches, overhearing things.  
"Only he has his free will restored. The rest are operating under his orders, by Robotnik. They don't know he's on our side now!" Sonic tells his friends.  
"Still, if they find out, then he's in danger, and so are we." Rotor says.  
"That's where you, Bunnie, and Antoine come in. Amadeus told us to capture them, and him, in case they became a danger to us, or if they came too close." Sonic explains to his technologically inclined friend.  
"Alright. Antoine, we'll need vines and fast. Bunnie, levers, pulleys, and wooden beams. I'll do the building and camouflaging. We're going to net us a few robians." Rotor says.  
"Tails, let's get something to eat." Sonic says, about to lead him on a walk to a picnic break, when Sally places her hand on her friend's shoulder.  
"Sonic, Can we speak? Alone?" She asks him.  
"Sure, Sal." He says, walking briefly closer to her.  
"Sonic, I think you should tell Tails about his father." She says to him.  
"I dunno... think he'll be able to handle it? He may be mature for his age, but he's still young." the blue blur replies in return.  
"I know he's only 16, but he needs to know the truth, Sonic." She replies.  
Sonic nods and walks back to Tails.  
"Little buddy, I think there's something you really need to know." He says, kneeling down next to his friend.  
"Wh-what is it, Sonic?" Tails asks, curious and nervous.  
"Tails... you know that roboticized fox we captured?" Sonic explains carefully to Tails.  
"Yeah..." Tails nods his head.  
"Well, he's your father, little buddy." He says, holding tails' hand with his own.  
Tails stays silent for a minute, many thoughts running through his young mind at the same time "Did it hurt him when he was roboticized? Is he ok?" Tails asks.  
"Yeah. It hurt him, but he's alright. He has his free will back." Sonic smiles a bit, hugging Tails warmly.  
"What about my mom? Do I have any other siblings out there?" Tails asks sonic.  
"I don't know..." Sonic trails off, unsure how to answer.  
"Did you find your parents?" he asks, whispering.  
"Nope. Not yet, anyway." Sonic replies as he sits next to the young foxpup, handing him an apple as they start to eat lunch.  
"I know we'll find 'em, Sonic." Tails says with a smile as he eats with his best friend, getting a warm hug from Sonic.


	10. Chapter 10

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 15-May 17, 3241 - Late Spring  
- - - - - -

Chapter 9 - Robotnik's Fall, and the Encounter with Ixis Naugus

"People of Mobius, it is with great pride that I bring news of the Freedom Fighters' battles of Mobotropolis. Ixis has fallen, and we can now return home!" King Max tells his people in Knothole.  
"I thought the city was too polluted, though." One person asks.  
"The pollution has subsided to safe amounts. Rotor and Nicole have done tests and confirmed that the pollution is not at safe levels." King Max explains.  
"What about Ixis Naugus and Robotnik?" Another asks.  
"They are both long gone. Our kingdom will soon be able to defend itself once more. I have already taken the liberty to re-arm our forces. We will have an airforce and navy to compliment our military." He explains.  
"Now, are there any further questions?" The king asks, after a pause.  
After no one responds, he then finishes his speach.  
"I now hereby declare Mobotropolis, once more the capital of the Furry Realm." King Acorn speaks, cutting the ribbon to the highway leading into Mobotropolis.

"Sal, I think you should tell your dad." Sonic says to Sally as they stand just off stage.  
"No no... why interrupt him?" She asks.  
"I meant afterwards. He'll love it." The hedgehog responds.  
"Alright." Sally speaks.  
As the king walks off stage, he sees Sonic and Sally.  
"Oh, hello, you two. How goes?" He asks.  
"Fine. Sire, we have something to show you. Something you might like a great deal." Sonic says.  
"Alright. What is it and where?"  
"It's deep in the Great Forest." Sally replies. "You can see it best by plane."  
"Yeah. I'll get Tails." Sonic says, bolting for the doors.  
He returns a few seconds later, holding Tails' hand.  
"Tails, get your plane. It's time we show the King his surprise." Sonic tells him.  
Tails nods. "Alright."  
They walk to Tails' plane. Tails helps King Acorn into the passenger seat, and starts the plane as Sonic and Sally climb onto the wings. The biplane quickly takes off for the hills in the distance.  
"Tails, what are you going to show me?" King Max asks.  
"It's a surprise, sire. One you'll love." He replies as he steers the plane.  
The plane climbs and glides around the next tree-covered mountain. They approach a valley with a river and lake in it, along with a very large, well-concealed castle.  
"Sire, there it is! Boreal Castle!" Sonic yells over the wind.  
"It's--It's incredible. I thought my refuge and strongold was destroyed..." He says as tails brings them in for a closer look.  
"It was heavily damaged by Robuttnik's missiles, but Rotor and Antoine have been fixing it up lately with us." Sonic speaks.  
"The people thought of this, dad. They wanted to give something back to you, becuase you've done so much for them." Sally says.  
Tails brings them around for one more look.  
"The best thing, is that it'll be completely repaired in just a couple months." Tails tells them as he flies.  
He brings the plane in a bit closer, showing them the front of the castle from the plane, giving the king a final look as they begin their return trip to Knothole Village. After a few minutes, the plane lands in the slightly dusty grassed field in Knothole Village. Tails hops out of the plane and helps his friends out.  
Ixis keeps running through the forested valleys, following the rivers along their banks. He approaches the hills of Eastern Mobius, and rediscovers Robotnik's old Workers' Concentration Camp, where he forced people into slave labour to build his roboticizers and swat-bots, before becoming robots themselves.  
"This is perfect for me to use. I can harness the power of Robotnik's machinery to enhance my magic..." He says to himself.  
He closes his eyes to think for a second, and feels an energy source off in the distance.  
"The Energy Crystal. I can use that to shield myself." Ixis thinks to himself.  
A few kilometers away, the Mobium Stone pulses dimly with just enough light to illumiate the caves of "Lower Mobius". Griff the goat watches the control panel, monitoring it for any potential problems.  
"Looks like another quiet night underground." he says to himself.  
Ixis concentrates as he stands at the base of a mountain.  
"Bark, Bean, can you two hear me?" He speaks, rubbing his forehead as he communicates telepathically with his double-agents.  
Bean looks around.  
"Hoo man! I'm hearin' voices! Am I going even crazier?" He asks.  
Bark looks at him, unimpressed. He grabs the spastic, hyperactive duck by the shoulders and pins him on the ground to keep him still.  
"I can hear you, Ixis. What would you like us to do?" The polar bear asks.  
"I want you to steal the Energy Crystal from the freedom fighters, and bring it to me." the wizard tells him.  
"Yeah. How do I do that? I don't even know where you are."  
"You'll know where to find me." Ixis tells him, as he fades into silence.  
Bark looks down at Bean.  
"I'll take the stone, you create a distraction. We'll act when the time's just right."  
"Righty-o!" Bean says, in his regular, loopy tone.

A few hours go by, when a sensor in one of the tunnels goes off. Griff looks at the screens, to see who or what is tripping the alarms.  
"what? Who's there? Who knows about us?" He asks himself, looking at the security cameras. He sees the figure is none other than Ixis Naugus, running through the underground steel tube, towards Lower Mobius.  
"Oh, no you don't, stranger." He says as he activates the security bulkhead doors, locking the entrances to the commuinity.  
Ixis stops in his tracks just as the door closes in front of him. He feels it, knowing he can manipulate metal fairly easily. He stretches out his arms, and concentrates. The door begins to open again.  
"What? This shouldn't be happening..." Griff says to himself, pressing the "lockdown" button again in an attempt to seal up the entrances again.  
"That won't happen, you wretched furball." Ixis says, doubling his efforts. He overrides the door and steps into the large cavernous area. He looks around, before looking up towards the cave ceiling, at the Mobium Stone.  
"At last!" He speaks.  
Griff watches as the invader enters his village. he runs down from the master control.  
"Stop! Who are you and what do you want?" He asks.  
Ixis turns to face the goat.  
"I am Ixis Naugus. Your new master. I have come for your Energy Crystal." He tells the young goat.  
"You can't have it. We need it to survive down here." Griff replies.  
"I can have it, and I will." He says, holding his hands out towards Griff.  
The goat tries to jump away, but is frozen in place. He can see and hear Ixis, but he cannot move.  
Bark runs forth through the underground tunnels and town that comprise of Lower Mobius, followed by Bean, seeing Ixis has already managed to get in.  
"I thought you wanted us to take the stone ourselves." Bean says, faking being angry.  
"It's a change of plans. It was much easier getting in than I anticipated." Ixis replies.  
Griff is shocked that two of his trusted freedom fighters were really double-crossers. He can't move, and can only watch helplessly as Ixis leaps up to the ceiling of the underground village. He grasps the Energy Crystal and leaps back down, facing Griff.  
"Thank you very much for this precious stone." He says, before turning and running off with Bark and Bean.  
"Ta-ta! it's been a real BLAST!" Bean laughs as he runs off into the tunnel with Bark and Ixis Naugus.  
The duck tosses a couple bombs that explode in the tunnel, causing a section of the tunnel shaft to collapse behind him, blocking Griff in the main cavern and creating some space between them.  
"I have to stop him. I can't move, but I must stop him..." Griff thinks to himself.  
He continues to try to move his limbs, gradually regaining his mobility. The goat runs back towards the master controls, being careful in the dimly-lit cave.  
"Emergency! Someone's stolen our Energy Crystal!" Griff yells to his underground freedom fighters.  
Initially, no one responds. Griff lowers his head in despair, thinking he's on his own.  
His warthog general walks back in from the dark, out of breath.  
"I tried to hunt them down, but they vanished in front of me. They blocked most of the tunnels with bombs and rubble. That wizard must have teleported them to some other place..." He speaks.  
"That's alright. You did what you could. We'll have to leave our home now. Get everyone together, Call Paulo and Dirk if they're still around. We'll need their help. I'll call the Wolfpack and the Knothole Freedom Fighters. We'll need all the help we can get at this point." He says, feeling beaten for the first time as leader of the Lower Mobius Freedom Fighters.  
The Lower Mobius Freedom Fighters can faintly hear the echoes of Ixis running through the tunnel that leads to the outside.  
"You can't catch me! You can't stop me!" Ixis yells.  
The polar bear and green duck then give chase through the tunnel. Ixis waves his hand and the doos slam shut in rapid succession behind him, to block anyone else from chasing him.  
The evil wizard runs through the night, over the mountains and along the valleys in Eastern Mobius. He sees the dim lights of torches in the distance.  
"How convenient. I can replentish myself and enslave these pathetically weak villagers." He says to himself as he nears the Wolfpack's village.  
Reynard the brown-furred wolf is keeping watch over the western frontier of their small mountain village. He looks through his binoculars. He sees nothing in his view, but a breeze sends a chill down his spine. At the same time, Lupe wakes up in the underground cave den. The female wolf opens her eyes and stands up. She opens the door and walks up the stairs of the cave hallway towards Reynard's post.  
"Did you feel that?" She asks him.  
"Yes, I did. It felt like a terrible aura is approaching us." He replies, not breaking his gaze from his binoculars.  
"What should we do with him?" Rotor asks.  
"Well, we could all use 'im for his technological skills." Bunnie replies.  
Snively looks around at the Freedom Fighters, somewhat frantically, and very afraid.  
"How do we know he won't become a turn-coat?" Nack asks, holding his military rifle.  
"Because, he was betrayed by Ixis Naugus and turned into a fox." Sonic explains.  
"I think he should help Rotor and I in the technology area, like Bunnie suggested. He can help us clone Robotnik's technology and undo all of his damage." Tails suggests.  
"I-I think I could be of a great use to you... P-please let me prove my worth. I'll show you can trust me..." Snively asks.  
"Trust YOU? Snively, that'll take a LONG time. You tried to kill us many times." Sonic reminds him.  
"It's understandable that you won't trust me. Just... let me help you defend against Metallix." Snively begs.  
For a second, Sonic had actually forgotten about Metallix. It wasn't that hard, since he has yet to see the metallic hedgehog up close.  
"Alright, Snively. You can help Rotor. Antoine and Nack will make sure you don't pull any tricks on us." Sonic instructs them.  
Antoine motions for Snively to follow Rotor and himself to the walrus' workshop.  
"Allons-y, mon ami." He says.  
"All-what?" Snively asks.  
"It means 'Follow Me, my friend' in French." Rotor explains, opening the door to his workshop.  
Antoine and Nack walk in and Rotor follows them in.  
Sonic's attention and focus return to his friends.  
"Now that we have Snively working for us, we can focus on Ixis Naugus." He says.  
"Do we have a way to trace his magic?" Tails asks.  
"I'm not sure, Sugah-Sonic. We might have ta go by freedom fighters seeing him." Bunnie says.  
"How about ionized particle residues from his Magic energy? Even in trace amounts, it might be enough of a trail to follow." Tails thinks.  
"Tails, I think you've been spending way too much time with Rotor and NICOLE." Sonic chuckles.  
"That's it, though. It could work." Sally says.  
Sonic's confused.  
"How?" He asks.  
"It's like a car with an oil leak driving down the road. Simply follow the oil trail back to its source." Sally explains.  
"Alright. Let's see if we can pick it up anywhere." Sonic replies.  
"NICOLE, scan for any magic energy traces." Sally asks her sentient hand-held computer.  
"Scanning, Sally..." NICOLE replies.  
Sonic watches, and after a couple seconds, thumps his foot impatiently.  
"Come on, I'm waiting..." He boredly says his well-known catchphrase.  
"Just a second, my main hedgehog." NICOLE says, before she finishes.  
NICOLE then displays a holographic 3D map of the globe in front of them.  
"Energy traces found in Eastern Mobius, here." She says, zooming in on the main part, highlighting the trail in green.  
"Where is this? It sounds familiar..." Sonic asks.  
"Eastern Mobius. Roughly 800 kilometers away. Robotnik has, well, had some infrastructure in the area." She explains.  
"Go on..." Sally says.  
"King Acorn originally built a railroad line to the area, to deliver materials from the mines. When When Robotnik took over, he upgraded the Trans-Mobian railroad from Mobotropolis to his iron-ore mines in the area. He kept this line running, as the mines delivered massive amounts of coal, oil, and minerals to power his machinery. They also doubled as a concentration camp for prisoners that kept escaping from his other holding areas. Along with the mines, he had a workers' prisoner camp where those people would be put to work, before being roboticized, when they became too exhausted to work. He also has a prison in the concentration camp for those people who continued to escape from his other holding areas." She explains to the freedom fighters.  
"I know, first-hand. I was held there when I was younger with my two friends, Mighty and Ray. I was nearly roboticized there." Sonic says.  
The freedom fighters gasp from hearing this.  
"Oh mah stars, sugah-hog... what happened?" She asks.  
"I'll explain along the way." He explains.  
"It was my first scouting mission against Robotnik. I was seven years old, Mighty and Ray were six. We were hoping to shove some detonators onto his delivery train leading to the mines in revenge for killing our families, but we were caught, and sent there to dig out his iron ore." Sonic speaks.  
"How'd you get out, Sonic?" Tails asks.  
"Robuttnik didn't count on Mighty, Ray, and I busting out. Man, Mighty tossed the train like it was nothing, while Ray was able to glide out and see if the coast was clear. We managed to escape after trashing most of the 'bots there. I returned to Knothole Village, while Mighty and Ray went back to where they lived." Sonic speaks.  
"The area is very remote, and the only access is through the valley to the mines and workers' camp. It is surrounded by steep cliffs and heavily-treed mountains on all sides. It would be the perfect place for a villain like Ixis to practice his magic skills without worries of attack." Sally says.  
"We don't have any evidence of him actually being there, though. The place has been deserted ever since I broke out of there with a couple friends and trashed the place." Sonic replies as they walk into Freedom HQ.

The three freedom fighters sit down at the table and review the map of Mobius they have.  
"Incoming transmission." NICOLE notifies them.  
"Put it on the main screen." Sonic says.  
The main telescreen turns on, showing an image of Griff, leader of the Underground Freedom Fighters.  
"Knothole Freedom Fighters, come in. Are you there?" He asks.  
"We're here, Griff." Sally replies. "What's going on?"  
"Ixis was here. He stole our Energy Crystal on his way out. We're evacuating our people because the cave's ventilation and structure integrity systems went down without the energy from the rock." He explains.  
"What can we do to help, Griff?" Sally asks.  
"We're afraid to leave becuase Ixis is nearby. He's decided to take up residence at Robotnik's old mines." The goat speaks.  
"We'll ask Lupe if the Wolfpack can help you guys. We'll send our team over, and flush Ixis out. We've also managed to re-take Mobotropolis." Sally speaks.  
"Mobotropolis is back? What happened to Robotnik?" Griff asks, surprised.  
"Robuttnik became Ixis' lackey and he's residing in the Space Station in orbit around Mobius." Tails says, reclining in his chair.  
"As for Snively?" Griff inquires.  
"Snively's been turned into a fox by Ixis. He's now a freedom fighter, but just as cowardly as ever." Sonic says, laughing.  
"Interesting. Well, we're ready to act when you are. Paulo and Dirk are here, as well. They suggest surrounding and using a combined thrust to attack and capture Ixis." THe goat tells them.  
"That sounds good. We'll team up with our allies." Sally says.  
"Well, we'll be a while. We can't take the plane again. Ixis knows it. He's encountered it before." The twin-tailed fox says.  
"How will you be able to get in?" Griff asks tails.  
"We borrow one of Robotnik's trains and use it to get there. We can also evacuate your freedom fighters with it very quickly." Tails says.  
"I'm worried Ixis will see you coming and trigger an avalanche to bury you alive." The goat expresses his fears.  
"Well, you leave that to us." Tails says.  
"Alright. I hope to see you here soon. Griff out." The goat speaks before turning his system off.  
Knuckles steps into the room, with his backpack and hat.  
"Well, freedom fighters, it's time I must head back to my Island. I greatly appreciate your hospitality and kindness. I have my Master Emerald back, so my business here is finished." Knuckles speaks.  
Sally and Sonic turn around in their chairs.  
"We'll miss ya, Rad-Red. It's been great working alongside ya." Sonic tells his friend, shaking his hand.  
"Likewise, True-Blue. I'll keep in contact with you, though. You guys are good friends to have." THe echidna tells them "Why not one last hurrah before you leave for home, Knux?" Tails asks him.  
"What do you mean?" The curious echidna inquires.  
"We're going to attack and defeat Ixis, but his stronghold is in Eastern Mobius. That's near your Island and we may need your help. You'll get a free ride home, and once Ixis is subdued, Mobius will be safe." Sally explains.  
"Sounds like fun." Knuckles grins.  
"It's settled. We'll leave for Mobotropolis in an hour, and travel all night to evade detection." Sally tells them.  
The freedom fighters agree with her, and get prepared for their long trek.  
An hour later, Bunnie walks into Rotor's workshop.  
"Do you guys think you can handle Knothole while we're gone?" She asks Rotor and Antoine.  
Antoine looks over his shoulder as he helps Rotor weld a piece of metal.  
"Of course, Bunnie. I am a Royal Guard, and Rotor has all sorts of gadgets. We can handle ourselves. You do not need to worry." He tells Bunnie, the object of his affection.  
"Alright. We'll be back when Ixis is defeated." She tells him, walking back out the door.  
Ixis walks the halls of his refuge, the workers slave camp administration building. He approaches the large window overseeing the mines and courtyard, looking towards the valley in the distance.  
"I know you're out there, quickster. You and your meddlesome friends are coming for me. Too bad I have the home territory advantage." He says to himself.  
He raises his fist towards the air, watching as a large tower of rock shoots upwards at a nearby mountain. He smirks, watching his fists glow with power.  
"Very soon, this whole wretched planet will cower under me, and I will remake it into my ideal crystalline paradise. That fool King Acorn will regret ever decommissioning the Ministry of Magic and firing me. And when I find Robotnik, I will toss him into the Void, as he did to me." He says to himself.  
Sally knocks on her father's office door at Freedom Headquarters in Knothole. Sonic and Tails are with her. King Acorn is writing down some notes as he reviews requests to re-instate various ministries of his provisional government.  
"Come in..." He says without looking up from his work.  
Sally, Sonic, and Tails step in and sit down at the chairs in front of his desk.  
"Father, I normally don't bother you about our missions unless they're large ones, but I need your approval and advice on this mission." She says.  
He looks up from his papers.  
"What is this mission about?" He asks his daughter.  
"It's to finish up our last mission. We intend on defeating Ixis Naugus to protect our kingdom. The Freedom Fighters came very close to destroying him last time, and we've been planning that attack for a long time. We can't let it go unfinished, or it's all for nothing." She explains.  
"Yes. He's a menace that I intend to arrest and prosecute in trial for his crimes. Where is Ixis? Do you need any backup from the Royal Army?" King Max asks.  
"We think he's in Eastern Mobius, hiding in Robotnik's former iron-ore mine and prisoner work camp." Sonic says.  
"Hmm. I'll give you command of the Fanged Felons again as backup. However, if you are unable to subdue him, I will take action. " He explains to the three younger freedom fighters.  
"Take action?" Sonic asks.  
"Sonic, my Secret Service has recovered three airships that my Royal Airforce had operated until Robotnik took over. I am rebuilding the Army, Navy, and Air Force to protect the kingdom. From the recovery reports, these jet-powered airships are still in working condition, and their speed allows them to reach any part of the world within six hours." King Max speaks.  
"So we're gonna play second fiddle to the army now? Or are we going to be replaced entirely?" Sonic asks.  
"Sonic, my father is just trying to rebuild his country." Sally says, holding his arm.  
"You will never play second fiddle to the army, becuase the Freedom Fighters will still be lead the way they are. I have no intentions of disbanding your friends, Sonic. Your Freedom Fighters are far too valuable to the Kingdom and have done so many good things for it in the past. We are forever in your debt." The king finishes explaining.  
"I guess I understand what you mean." Sonic says. "So that means we can go get 'im?"  
"Yes. My boy, I wish you the best of luck. The Freedom Fighters have my permission for this operation to capture Ixis Naugus. If you run into trouble, call for backup and it will be on its way. Now go. Godspeed, my lad, and raise some mayhem."  
"Sire, you have my word... we WILL." Sonic cheers, standing up with Tails and Sally.  
The three Freedom Fighters walk out of the the King's office, and meet up with Knuckles and Bunnie outside of Freedom Headquarters.  
The king then turns his chair to a two-way video screen.  
"Sir Charles, what is the progress on Reconstruction?" He asks.  
"Sire, I can report that 17% of the city has its power and water restored, all of it in the central part of the city. We're progressing slowly, but steadily." The metallic hedgehog speaks.  
"That's more than I had hoped for, but less than I liked."  
"Sire, I should mention that it will take some time to clean up all the garbage and rubble throughout the city. Robotnik make a real mess of things, and we're short on supplies and crews, no to mention dump trucks to haul it all to recycling centers..." Uncle Chuck replies.  
"That's alright. Just do what you can. Please stay in touch, Sir Hedgehog." He replies.  
"I shall, Sire." Uncle Chuck replies.  
The video turns off.  
"So, did your father give us permission to capture Ixis Naugus?" Bunnie asks.  
"Even better. He said that he'd send backup if we ran into trouble." Sally tells her.  
"Well, what about Robuttnik? He's still at large..." Knuckles says.  
"Once we defeat Ixis Naugus, Robotnik will be freed from his control, and thus, far easier to find. We'll capture him when he comes down from the space station." Sally explains.  
"You mean we don't have the capabilities to go up there and get him?" Tails asks as they walk toward Mobotropolis.  
"Not anymore. That rocket we used to destroy Sky Spy was destroyed with that space station. The best we have are airships right now." Sonic tells Tails.  
The twin-tailed fox motions for the Freedom Fighters to stop, as he hears something. He looks behind them, noticing Nack is running towards them. The weasel holds his gun tightly in his hands, coming to a stop a few steps from Tails.  
"King Max gave me orders to accompany you guys on this mission. The rest of my weasel brothers will stay behind to guard Knothole with the Secret Service." Nack tells them.  
"Glad to have ya on our side again, Nack." Sonic says as they resume their journey towards Mobotropolis.  
"Before we go any further, we'll need to check our supplies. Sonic, do you have a power ring or two on you?" Tails asks the hedgehog.  
Sonic checks his backpack.  
"Yeah. got a few in here. Why?" He asks the fox.  
"You'll need 'em." He replies as they continue on their trek to Mobotropolis.  
The Freedom Fighters stop as Nack walks to a couple bushes. He starts pulling them aside, uncovering his military van.  
"You said you wanted to get to Mobotropolis by sunset... Here's a good way how." Nack tells them as he starts it up.  
Tails opens the rear doors, and the Freedom Fighters pile into it. The vehicle's engine roars to life.  
"We'll make it to Mobo' in a third of the time, this way." The weasel says as he drives.  
"How many people can fit in this van?" Sally asks Nack.  
"Eight. Two in front, Six in the back. Why?" Nack responds.  
"That won't do. We need to evacuate two freedom fighter groups to Knothole Village." Sally speaks.  
"Well, His Majesty's Secret Service has been scouting out the city as they make sure it's safe for people to return... they found a couple of Robotnik's old... locomotives... or whatever they're called..." Nack speaks as he drives toards the large city.  
As he approaches and enters the city, he slows down. He carefully navigates through the streets of Mobotropolis. The Freedom Fighters can see that the city is going under reconstruction. As they approach the Control Center, Nack stops the van.  
"Alright, Princess. You said we need to evacuate a lot of people at once. How do we do that?" He asks.  
"NICOLE, are there any ships nearby that are available and capable of evacuating a village of say, 100?" Sally asks.  
"Listing... No available airships are readily available, due to the damage from Doomsday. There are a few land-based transport options, however." The sentient computer speaks.  
"Such as...?" Sonic asks impatiently.  
"We could use the rail line that lead to the mines in Eastern Mobius. We could use one of his locomotives along with one or two rail cars to transport our friends, and supplies to the concentration camp." She speaks.  
"Where did Robotnik keep any of these locomotives?" Tails asks NICOLE.  
"His intermodal yard is located on the eastern side of Mobotropolis, along the waterfront." NICOLE speaks.  
"That's our next stop, then. Let's just hope Robotnik hasn't scrapped his locomotives." Sonic replies.  
As the Freedom Fighters walk up to the warehouse, Sonic finds that the doors are locked.  
Sally hooks NICOLE up to the door's electronic lock.  
"NiICOLE, can you open the door?" Sally asks.  
"I'll try, sally." The computer responds, going to work.  
Within seconds, NICOLE is able to unlock the doors, granting them access inside. Bunnie and Knuckles walk up to the doors, and they pull them open. Sonic and Tails walk in, with Sally following them.  
"Tails, it's awful dark in there... how can we see where we're all goin'?" Bunnie asks.  
"Here's how." He says, pushing a switch. The large warehouse's ceiling lights turn on, revealing all of Robotnik's equipment inside.  
"Oh mah stars..." Bunnie says as she looks around, walking along one row of Swatbots, with transporter vehichles next to them.  
"Do you think Robotnik was planning a direct invasion of the Great Forest?" Tails asks.  
"Looks that way, kiddo." Sonic replies as they walk along the row of machinery.  
As Knuckles walks, he sees a rather large steel machine on two metal rails.  
"Hey, freedom fighters... check this out!" He says.  
"What is it?" Bunnie asks as she runs up, followed closely by Sonic, Sally, and Tails.  
"Holy abalone..." Bunny says to herself.  
"What is it???" Sonic asks, looking at the massive machine.  
"I... I think it's a diesel-powered locomotive" Sally says, feeling one of the massive machine's axles.  
"I think it's a giant scrap-heap. Just look at all the rust. I bet this thing won't even work." Sonic says.  
"Sonic, we don't even know that. It could work just perfectly for all you know." Sally says.  
"Yeah, Sonic. Let's give it a try before giving up." Tails says, tapping the steel side of the locomotive.  
"NICOLE, do you have data on ancient land technology?" Sally asks.  
"Yes, I do. Displaying data on ancient land vehicles..." Nicole complies.  
"The vehicle type known as "locomotive" are extremely large and powerful machines that can be used to pull massive amounts of cargo very quickly and efficiently along twin-railed paths." She explains, showing an exmaple of a moving holographic image of a locomotive pulling a few rail cars on a track.  
"We should look around if there are any cars we can put behind this. We can get our friends on the cars behind, bring them back quickly..." Tails says, looking around.  
"Good idea. I'll help speed up the search." Sonic says, speeding off along the large hallways of the warehouse.  
Bunnie finds a disk labelled "TRAIN INFO". She wonders what information it has on it.  
"Guys, ah found somethin'..." She says as she brings the disk to Sally.  
The princess analyzes the disk with NICOLE.  
"Oh my. This is a great find, Bunnie! This shows all the locations of the rail cars for this locomotive, and its rail paths." She says, reading the information.  
"Yeah, but does it say what they're all for?" Sonic asks as he returns, skidding to a halt.  
"Yes, it does, Sonic. This must have been a tutorial disk for Robotnik's swatbots." The princess says.  
"Alright. We got the train, we got the railcars, we got the manual, now we gotta go." Knuckles says, climbing into the cabin of the engine.  
"He's right. Time's not on our side." Bunnie says, helping sonic and Sally into the cabin.  
Tails looks around the large controlboard.  
"How do i start this?" he thinks to himself.  
"Here goes nothing..." he says, pushing a large green button on the control panel.  
The train's large diesel-jet turbines roar to life.  
"It works! We caught ourselves a break, guys... now let's go stop Ixis Naugus." Tails says, putting the train into forward gear, watching from inside as the train starts to move along the rails within the warehouse.  
"Tails, do you know how to drive this thing?" Knuckles asks.  
"I think I know what to do." He replies.  
The train slowly rolls out of the warehouse, along the tracks. It comes to a shunting yard, with the rails splitting into different directions through a switch. Tails presses a button along the control panel, and watches as the rail in the switch moves to allow them to pass straight along the rails. As Tails passes at the other side of the shunting yard, he slows the train, and backs it up.  
"Tails, why are you bringing us backwards?" Sonic asks.  
"Just getting some cars to tow behind us. Sally said there were Freedom Fighters we needed to evacuate, and we need some way to bring 'em back..." The twin-tailed fox explains. Sonic and Knuckles hear the train's couplers clip onto the flatbed's, and they feel a soft bump when they meet. He then puts the train back into motion, moving forwards.  
"I heard this was called an "iron horse"... well, let's give this thing a little room to gallop." Tails grins, pushing the accelerator throttle forward. The train's speed increases to 80 kilometers per hour. The Freedom Fighters soon find themselves travelling along the tracks and out of Mobotropolis and into the deeply forested and very hilly area that is Eastern Mobius. An hour into the trip, Tails increases the locomotive's speed to 135 kilometers per hour, continuing through the night. The train's engines roar loudly, echoing off of the valley's walls as it glides along the iron rails in the hills.  
As dawn nears, Sally checks Nicole for their position.  
"Nicole, how far are we from the mines?" Sally asks her.  
"We are only 120 kilometers from our destination, Sally." She replies.  
"Very good. We'll be there in just under an hour at this rate." Sally says to Tails and her friends.  
Tails maintains the speed of the locomotive, slowing down through the valley along the curve.  
"Something's not right..." He says.  
"What do ya mean, T2?" Sonic asks.  
"I mean, I can feel someone is watching us." He speaks.  
"Maybe it's just pre-fight jitters..." Nack thinks.  
"Maybe... But somehow--" Tails speaks, but is cut off by a huge rumbling sound.  
The freedom fighters look from the front of the locomotive, as huge boulders begin rolling down the side of the mountain and across the tracks.  
"What is this? An earthquake?" Sonic asks.  
"It's an avalanche! Brace for impact!" Sally yells over the loud rumbling of rocks.  
The freedom fighters hold on to anything they can withing the locomotive. Tails hears a loud BANG! and the locmotive is knocked sideways as it travels down the tracks, now sliding nose-first into the ravine.  
"Oh NO!" Sally yelps, holding on to the controls.  
The locomotive then comes to a stop, on its side, face-first towards the creek, around 45 meters from the rails, with rocks everywhere from the landslide. The train is buried up to its nose in dirt and debris.  
"Holy Toledo... Is everyone alright?" Bunnie asks, dusting himself off as she helps her friends up.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tails says, rubbing his head.  
"What happened?" Sonic asks, looking out the tilted train's windows.  
"Avalanche, I think." Sally asks.  
"Let's get outta here, in case more rocks come down on us." Tails says, crawling out through the side door.  
He helps Sonic, Bunnie, Sally, and Nack out of the tilted engine.  
"What could have caused it? Noise from this engine?" Nack asks.  
"I think it was Naugus." Tails speaks. "He could have spies out that either triggered a land slide, or they told him we were coming, and he brought the mountain down onto us, to try and kill us." He explains.  
"Great. But why did he destroy our engine? Doesn't he know we can still walk to the mines?" Bunnie asks.  
"He knows we were going to evacuate our friends. He wants them to buckle down under his power, but we won't let him." Sonic says.  
Sonic then looks around, and sees that Tails is crawling around the other side of the engine.  
"Tails! Don't go under the engine! If it slides down, you'll be crushed!" Bunnie says.  
"It's alright." Tails replies.  
He simply raises his hands into the air, concentrating very hard. A wind begins to blow from behind Tails, and the locomotive begins to shift. The freedom fighters crawl up the hill a few feet to the side.  
"What's going on?" Sonic asks.  
"I really dun know, but i think tails has really been eating his veggies..." Bunnie says, pointing to Tails, telekinetically lifting the huge 60-ton locomotive and flatcar up off the ravine side.  
The fox carefully places the locomotive back on the rails. The Freedom Fighters are completely shocked and at a loss for words.  
"Tails... how did you do that?" Sonic asks.  
The fox simply blinks, not knowing what exactly happened, either.  
"I-I'm not sure... I just picked up the train and put it back, like it was a twig..." the younger fox says.  
Knuckles walks alongside the locomotive, inspecting its damage, seeing there are some pretty deep dents.  
"I just hope this thing still works. That boulder hit it pretty hard." The echidna says.  
"We'll know that in a second..." Sally replies, stepping back into the control room.  
She plugs NICOLE back into the console.  
"NICOLE, run locomotive diagnostics check. Include physical damage." She asks.  
"Running program, Sally." NICOLE replies, calculating and inspecting.  
"All tests passed. This machine is functional." She speaks upon completion.  
"That's what I've wanted to hear." Tails says as he presses the green button.  
The locomotive comes back to life again and resumes moving.  
"Looks like we've lucked out." Sonic says to Tails, watching as the locomotive begins to move once more.  
Tails simply nods in return, concentrating.  
Ixis is watching through his spell-created hologram.  
"You may have that little two-tailed freak with you, Sonic, but I won't let you succeed." He says, turning towards the wall.  
He casts a spell where armoured mining suits hang on the walls, laughing. "I'd like to see Sonic try to stop these suits. He can't fight what's not alive."  
Sally slows the locomotive as it rounds another curve, when the mining camp comes into view, with the large building perched atop the low hill. "That must be where Ixis Naugus is." Sonic says.  
"Alright, we should split up into two teams: one to go after Ixis, and the other to evacuate the furs around here." Knuckles suggests.  
Sally nods her head.  
"Sonic, Tails, Knuckles... you guys go after Ixis. Bunnie, Nack, and I will go evacuate the other freedom fighter groups nearby." Sally explains.  
The furs place their paws together, then break. The "Triple Threat" of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles run towards the mining camp, while Bunnie, Sally, and Nack head off towards the mountain.  
Sonic stops as he hears laughing coming from the top floor of the long-abandoned, decrepit four-story mining camp building.  
"Quickster, you and your friends may have been lucky enough to have made it here, but you will not be lucky enough to leave." Ixis says.  
"That's what you think! We're here to take you down!" Knuckles shouts.  
Ixis grins. "An unlikely outcome. I have my own tricks in store for you." He says.  
Knuckles takes a few steps forward, but stops when the doors swing open.  
"What the--?" he says, but he's cut off when three suits of armour jump out and land in front of them.  
One suit is sporting a huge mallet. It swings at Sonic, who performs a backflip to avoid being struck by the solid metal object.  
"Hey! That's too close for the ol' hedgehog comfort!" He says, jumping forward, trying to buzz-saw the suit in half.  
The suit simply reaches forward, grabs Sonic while he's spinning, and tosses him back. Sonic yelps as he lands on his back on the ground.  
"That's it! You're goin' DOWN!" Sonic says.  
"Sonic, it's a suit. You can't defeat it." Tails says.  
"What?" Sonic asks.  
"I think Ixis Naugus is controlling it, like a puppet on a string. How else can a suit just come to life?" The fox explains.  
"Go after the magic puppeteer, and the puppet goes limp." Sonic says to himself.  
He thinks to himself "everything has a weakness. I just have to figure out what this suit's weakness is."  
Knuckles looks around for anything that could be used to either retstrain the suits, or destroy them. He spots an axe, and picks it up.  
"What are you doing, Knuckles?" Tails asks.  
"I'm gonna slice this one in half." Knuckles says.  
He starts swinging the axe at the suit that's charging right towards him. The suit is sliced in half, but is unaffected.  
"Oh... jeez." Knuckles says.  
He dodges the suit as it swings punches at him. The echidna blocks and counters, not harming it at all. Sonic is running, trying to spin-dash into a suit, when Tails gets an idea. He picks the other suit of armour up, and starts flying. The flying fox lets go from a height of around 10 meters. The suit simply crumples and jumps back to life.  
"Augh. I can't believe that failed." Tails says.  
"Maybe what it needs is a bomb or THREE!" Bean says, holding one of his trademark bombs in his hand as he walks forward from the abandoned building.  
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Knuckles asks.  
"I'm Bark the Polar Bear, and this is Bean the Duck. We're friends of Ixis, and we're gonna stop ya!" He says.  
"Great. More of 'em..." Tails says.  
"Alright, this one's mine." Bean says, as he runs towards Tails, tossing a bomb at him.  
Tails shields himself from the blast, and waits for the smoke to clear. Bean's amazed that Tails is unharmed and simply gets back up.  
"Impossible!" He yells, tossing another, with no effect as well.  
Tails growls.  
"You shouldn't have done that." He says, picking Bean up Telepathically, throwing him into the mountainside.  
"Hey! Wait! No fair! Leggo and put me down!" Bean says, trying to run in place before being flung against the rock face of the mountain.  
Bark adjusts his gloves as he prepares to fight Knuckles.  
"This is just a waste of time. Just give up." Knuckles tells the polar bear.  
"Yeah, you're right on that. You'll be out cold with one punch." Bear tells him as he takes a swing.  
Knuckles dodges and counters, landing a hit on Bark's throat.  
The polar bear steps back, holding his throat. He coughs a couple times, gasping for breath.  
"You fight dirty, you lousy echidna! You'll pay for that!" He growls, helping up Bean. He runs towards the echidna, punching Knuckles in the head. It doesn't phase Knuckles, who simply trips Bark and punches hard into the ground next to his head, cracking the hard rock with his knuckles. Bark simply blinks, looking up at Knuckles.  
"Yeah. That could've been your head that I hit and crushed instead. Wanna give up?" He asks Bark and Bean.  
Bark growls, kicking the Echidna off of him.  
"No way. I'm easily as strong as you, and I can best ya, Guardian." The bear growls, taking a swing at Knuckles.  
The echidna dodges again.  
"You just don't know when to give up!" Knuckles says, blocking a punch with his gloved paws.  
As Bark takes another swing at Knuckles, he finds himself airborne, being carried by Tails.  
"What the-- HEY! Put me down at once, you flying freak!" He yells, trying to grab at Tails.  
"Sure, I can put ya down right now..." Tails replies, now about fifty feet in the air.  
"Wait... don't drop me." Bark tells him.  
"I'll just let you chill on this ledge as a form of "time out"." The fox says as he drops Bark onto a small ledge on the mountainside.  
Bean, Knuckles, and Sonic watch as Tails removes Bark from the situation.  
"So ya think you can fly? You think you're a flying fox? Let's see ya try that with me!" Bean says, tossing a bomb into the air towards Tails. The fox simply dodges, dive-bombing Bean. He grabs the green-feathered duck.  
"You can join your friend here. We're too busy dealing with Ixis to bother with small-time thugs like you." Tails tells them, heading back to land on the ground.  
"Whoa... cool moves, Tails!" Sonic says as Tails lands.  
"Yeah. Saves me the trouble of bustin' some heads open." Knuckles says, rubbing his knuckles.  
Sonic then jumps back as one of the suits of armour tries to slice him in half.  
"This is what we've been dealing with, all day... Tough things like suits of armour that won't die." Sonic says.  
"That's alright, I'll take care of this." Knuckles growls.  
He tightens his gloves before charging at the same suit that he failed to destroy. He growls as he rips it in half, and then throws it down onto the ground. The suit re-attaches itself, and Knuckles blinks in surprise.  
"Anyone have any other ideas?" Sonic asks.  
Something then catches Tails' eye: a smelter containing liquid metal at the mine's loading docks.  
"Bingo." He says with a grin.  
Knuckles finds himself up against a rock wall. He moves his head trying to avoid being punched by one of the suits. The suit's fist punches the rock so hard, some of it crumbles away, and some of it turns to dust.  
"Tails! Some help please!" He yells.  
As Tails runs over, the a loud BANG is heard. Nack fires its shotgun at the suit. It is stunned, and has a hole in it, but isn't fazed. It simply charges towards the shooter.  
"Why don't ya pick on someone equally-equipped?" Nack says, firing at it again, repeating until the suit of armour is nothing but shredded and tattered.  
"Thanks, Nack!" Knuckles says.  
"Wait... I thought you were with Sal and Bunnie." Sonic speaks.  
"I was. When NICOLE started picking up spikes in magic energy, I decided to head back to the mines when I saw you guys getting your tails handed to ya." The weasel explains.  
"What energy spikes?" Knuckles asks.  
"Maybe he means from when Ixis started controlling these suits..." Tails says to his friends.  
"Well, I should get back to Sal and Bunnie. I trust you guys can handle these things on your own from here on in?" Nack asks.  
"Yeah. We're fine now. Sal and Bunnie need your backup." The hedgehog speaks.  
The weasel heads off back towards the forested mountain, where Sally and Bunnie are.  
Tails then turns to Sonic and Knuckles.  
"I got a plan, Rad Red." He speaks.  
"What's the plan?" Knuckles asks.  
"We dunk these suits in the molten metal. That'll destroy 'em. If we can't stop the puppeteer, this might work instead." Tails says.  
Sonic jumps and manages to saw the suit after him in half, but to no avail. He steps back, when Nack picks up a rock, and throws it at the suit, striking it at its chestplate.  
Ixis is watching through his holographic pool.  
"What are you up to, quickster?" He asks himself, starting to sweat a bit.  
"Follow me, guys!" Tails says to Sonic and Knuckles.  
Sonic then taunts the suits, laughing at them as he runs towards the smelter. "Hey, you wet blankets! Come and get me!"  
The fast blue hedgehog looks behind him, with the three suits in chase. Tails grabs Knuckles' hand, throwing him towards the smelter. Knuckles glides through the air, watching carefully. He sees the lever to activate the smelter on a control system on the deck high above the ground, reaches for it, and pulls it, grasping tightly. Right after sonic runs past the smelter, the system turns on, and the suits are then covered in hot liquid molten metal.  
"Alright! Chalk one up for the good guys!" Sonic says.  
Ixis Naugus clenches his fists, growling in rage.  
"That quickster and his friends have ruined my plans for the LAST TIME!" He yells.  
He concentrates and casts a spell onto himself, starting to glow red. He then runs, jumping through the window, shattering it as he lands in the courthard below, his cape flowing behind him. He lands on the ground near Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, with a force hard enough to crack some of the ground beneath him, his arms wrapped around him, covering himself.  
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles turn around, to face him.  
"Hey, it's about time you showed up, Ixis. I was getting BORED!" Sonic says.  
Ixis is not amused.  
"Quickster, those words will be your last." He grins, starting to transform.  
Tails and Knuckles step back, unsure of what's going on. Ixis transforms into a giant crab with a scorpion tail. A pair of large red bat-like wings erupt from his shoulderblades on his upper back. His forehead begins to crack and split. He grins as his third eye is revealed.  
"Holy... what IS he?" Knuckles asks, stepping back.  
"I'd say butt-ugly!" Sonic nervously laughs, keeping back with Tails and Knuckles.  
Tails holds onto Sonic's arm, scared and shivering a bit. His twin tails are frazzled.  
Ixis crawls forward and lunges his tail towards Sonic and Tails, intent on poisoning and crystallizing them.  
"It's time for you to die, quickster!" He shouts.  
Sonic jumps out of the way, narrowly missing being stung.  
"Tails! Knuckles! What do we do?" The blue-furred hedgehog asks.  
Knuckles tries to run up from behind, but is swung away by Ixis' scorpion tail. Ixis turns to Knuckles, and tries to sting him. He rolls out of the way, narrowly missing a poisonous death.  
"How about we try to stay alive?" Knuckles asks, trying to get up.  
The wizard concentrates, shooting beams of crystallizing light from his third eye, towards Sonic and Tails.  
"I'll have to get you to stop moving, quickster..." Ixis says to himself, trying to hit Sonic and turn him into crystal.  
"That won't happen, you bat...scorpion... freak thing... I'm not dumb enough to be turned into crystal." Sonic taunts.  
Ixis continues to try to hit Sonic, but misses. The hedgehog watches as anything the beam touches is turned to crystal.  
"Yikes! Tails! Knux! I need some help!" Sonic says as he tries to dodge being hit.  
Tails watches as Sonic tries to dodge the crystalizing beams at high speed.  
"S-sonic's gonna be turned to crystal... I gotta do something..." Tails thinks to himself, watching, and very afraid.  
He then takes to the air, grasping a rock. He waits until he's directly above Ixis, then he drops it onto him. The wizard yelps as he's hit from above. Sonic and Knuckles turn around, watching Ixis flap his wings, taking to the air behind Tails. The twin-tailed fox sees Ixis approaching from behind, and gets moving.  
"You little pup. I'm going to kill YOU first!" Ixis says, shooting a crystal beam from his scorpion stinger.  
Tails looks behind, trying to keep away from Ixis, but the wizard is gaining on him in the skies.  
Knuckles climbs along the rock face of the mountain.  
"Knuckles, what are you doing?" Sonic asks.  
"I'm gonna go help Tails. I'll distract Ixis, or glide into him and punch him, or something." He replies as he climbs higher.  
"Tails! Bring 'im over here! I can take him!" Knuckles says as he climbs.  
"Uh... right!" Tails replies, turning around, flying towards Knuckles.  
Ixis is close behind, and Knuckles claws at the side of the cliff with one of his hands, grabbing a bunch of sand. Tails flies upwards and away, and Knuckles throws the sand at Ixis' face, blinding him. He then pushes off from the rock face, jumping and gliding towards him. He punches Ixis in the head with both of his fists. Ixis loses his balance and control of his wings from the punches. The wizard and echidna start to fall towards the ground.  
"Oh crap! I gotta act FAST, or Knuckles is toast!" Sonic says.  
He looks around, picks up a fistfull of sand, and runs towards the rock face. The spiky blue hedgehog runs up along the side of the mountain, and jumps off, tossing the sand into the air. He quickly runs across this makeshift path, and he grabs Knuckles' hand, pulling him up as he runs back towards the ground.  
"Thanks for pullin' me out of a sticky situation, True Blue." Knuckles tells Sonic.  
"No prob, Rad Red." Sonic replies to Knuckles.  
He then realizes that his feet are moving in circles, but he's going nowhere. His little path of sand has fallen to the earth.  
"Uh-oh... definitely not a good thing." He says to himself.  
"Hold on, then." Knuckles says, grasping Sonic's hands as he glides back to the ground.  
They watch as Ixis lands hard on his back, creating a small crater, with a great deal of dust. Sonic and Knuckles run away from Ixis as he crashes to the ground.  
"Owch. That's gonna leave a bruise." Tails says, watching from the top of the cliff. He then flies down to the ground, meeting back up with Sonic and Knuckles.  
Tails turns to Sonic.  
"Is he dead?" The fox asks.  
"Dunno..." Sonic speaks.  
"I'll find out." Knuckles tells the two.  
He walks closer, but jumps back when Ixis opens his eyes and flips himself back upright.  
"You will die a slow, painful death!" He yells, grabbing Tails with one of his crab pinchers.  
The fox struggles to escape.  
"Sonic! Help me!" Tails yelps, trying to break free.  
"You leave him alone!" Sonic says, charging at Ixis.  
He tries to buzz-saw Tails free from his grip, attempting to saw off Ixis' wrist clean off of his arm. Ixis releases Tails as Sonic impales his arm full of his spikes. Tails breaks free and runs back to Sonic and Knuckles.  
"You rotten hedgehog!" Ixis growls, crawling towards the Triple Threat.  
"What else can we do? We've given it our best against him, and he's still tickin'." Knuckles says.  
Tails looks around, and sees a mineshaft.  
"I got it! Knuckles, we need you to go into the mine! I'll distract him, while you and sonic push him in." Tails explains.  
Sonic looks at him, somewhat skeptically. "I don't know if that's gonna work..."  
Knuckles punches Ixis' stomach, sending him flying back a few feet.  
"Do you have any other options, Sonic?" Knuckles asks the hedgehog.  
"Alright. Let's do this!" Sonic and Tails say.  
Tails looks back at Ixis, taunting him. "Come on, Naugus! Can you even hit us?"  
Ixis snarls as he gets back up, leaping and gliding closer with his large wings.  
"I will crystallize you!" He yells, shooting a beam at Sonic and Tails as they run towards the mineshaft.  
Knuckles dives into the ground, punching and digging his way into the mineshaft. He quickly finds a rather large cache of dynamite and other explosives.  
"Tails, you're a genius." He grins, saying to himself.  
"Now, all I need is a match..." he mutters, looking around before finding one.  
Meanwhile, above ground, Sonic and Tails are dodging and Taunting Ixis.  
"You're lookin' awful crabby today, Ixis. Didn't you get enough "ugly" sleep?" Sonic chuckles, taunting the wizard.  
"You'll pay for that, Quickster!" Ixis yells, shooting his cryztallizing beam at Sonic, actually hitting him. It transforms the young male hedgehog into crystal.  
"Oh no! Sonic, NO!" Tails yells, feeling his hand, realizing that he's a crystalline statue now.  
Ixis grins, walking forward.  
"This is excellent. I've finally frozen that annoying hedgehog." He says to Tails.  
"I bet you can't get me, though!" Tails says, flying off towards the mineshaft.  
Ixis snarls in anger and follows in pursuit. Tails flies into the darkness of the mineshaft.  
"Alright, Knuckles, NOW!" he yells, with Ixis close behind him.  
Knuckles hears Tails shout, and he lights the dyanmite, and starts digging his way back to the outside world. Tails immediately turns around above Ixis, and flies out of the mineshaft's entrance, just as a large exposion rips through the mountain's base. Knuckles and Tails jump to safety as the mountain explodes and collapses in on itself from the explosion.  
"Well... that was a blast!" Knuckles says, coughing from the dust of the explosion.  
"I'll say... but Sonic was hit by that crystallizing beam..." Tails says, helping Knuckles up, showing him Sonic's frozen form.  
"Perhaps my Master Emerald can help him..." Knuckles says as he gets the emerald out from his backpack.  
Before he can do anything, Sonic begins to gradually return to his normal, flesh-and-blood self. He stumbles a bit, feeling slightly uneasy as the spell wears off.  
"Whoa... what happened?" He asks, rubbing his head.  
"Ixis turned you into a crystalline statue." Tails tells him.  
"We're just glad to have you back. I didn't think the spell would wear off when he was killed, though..." Knuckles says, holding the Master Emerald in his gloved hands, before placing it back in his backpack.  
"That was too close for the old comfort..." Sonic says to himself, shivering a bit.  
Meanwhile, in the hills nearby, Sally, Bunnie, and Nack meet up with the local Freedom Fighter groups.  
"Lupe, Griff, we recieved your distress message. I think it's best that everyone returns to Mobotropolis. It's too difficult to protect people out here, and with Ixis Naugus so close by, your lives are in danger." Sally speaks to the two leaders.  
"We've lived here for centuries, and fought against the humans, and against Robotnik... we can handle a wizard." Lupe replies.  
"Yeah. We can take Ixis... besides, once he's gone, can't we return here?" Griff asks.  
Bunnie thinks for a second. "Listen ya'll. I know you like living here, but it's dangerous. We're divided and spread out... Robotnik, Ixis, or anyone else who hates the kingdom could conquer us, since we're in small groups and so far out from home. But... if we're in larger groups, like in Knothole Village, we'll be able to hold our own much better." Bunnie explains to them.  
"That's fair, but what about our spy networks?" Griff asks.  
"They'll remain, but it's best if we have one central command, instead of all these outposts that risk being destroyed." Sally says.  
"Well, since our underground home is now uninhabitable, my freedom fighters and I have no choice." Griff says.  
Sally nods, and faces Lupe.  
"We shall join you as well, since that monster Ixis Naugus has poisoned our water supplies. We are also loyal to your king, and wish to join in rebuilding the nation." She says.  
"Alright. We have transportation waiting for your groups. Get everyone together and follow me." Sally says as the furs start to walk with her towards the mining camp.  
Sally and Bunnie return, with Nack, running down from the hill.  
"Alright, Sonic! We got everybody out. They're waiting for us on the train." Nack tells them.  
Sonic faces Nack, Bunnie and Sally. "Thanks. That's good news."  
Sally approaches Sonic. "What's wrong, Sonic? Something's troubling you..." She asks him.  
"I just had a really close call... Was frozen by Ixis Naugus, but Tails and Knux here saved me." Sonic says.  
Tails looks back at the now-destroyed mining camp as they walk back towards the train.  
"Do you think he's really dead and gone?" He asks.  
"Oh yeah. I wouldn't bet against it." Sonic replies.  
"I guess we can cross Ixis Naugus off the list of "enemies of the kingdom", Sal." Sonic tells the princess.  
"I'm glad, Sonic. Now we can rebuild the kingdom to what it once was." She replies.  
"Now, I hate to break up the precious moment, but... SOMEONE GET US DOWN FROM HERE!" Bean yells.  
Sally looks up at Bean and bark, sitting on the ledge.  
"Who are those two?" She asks.  
"Two little troublemakers that Ixis hired to help him and get in our way. Tails decided to give 'em a little time-out." Sonic explains.  
"Well, I'll go get 'em down. Knuckles, be ready to neutralize 'em." Tails says, flying up to the ledge.  
He brings down Bean, then Bark, who are placed in custody of Sonic and Knuckles.  
"You two are under arrest for grand treason." Sally tells the two furs.  
"What's that mean?" Bean asks.  
"It means you'll have a trial, and if you're guilty, it's off to the Devil's Gulag for betraying the king and his people." Bunnie explains.  
The two furs remain silent upon hearing this, as they're lead back onto the train.  
The Freedom Fighters climb back into the cabin of the locomotive, after helping their allies onto the railcars behind them, and begin their return to Mobotropolis. The train slowly decends the valley, with Tails at the controls. The fox applies the breaks slowly, letting the train remain at a stable speed. As the sun sets on the horizon, the freedom fighters begin to grow weary and tired from their excursions. Soon, Tails and Sally are the only ones still awake.  
"Nicole, contact Rotor for me, please." Sally asks her handheld computer.  
"Contacting Rotor now, Sally..." NICOLE says.  
Within seconds, Rotor's communicator notifies him of an incoming message. He presses the recieve button on one of his earphones to recieve the incoming transmission.  
"Rotor, this is Sally. Do you read me?" She asks, speaking into Nicole.  
"Rotor here. I read you, Sally. What's up?" He asks.  
"We've been able to defeat Ixis Naugus, and we've evacuated the other Freedom Fighter Groups from the area." The princess speaks.  
Rotor listens. "That's great news. I'll forward it to your father and the others if you want."  
"Sure, Rotor. We'll be home in a few hours. I'll keep in touch on the way back. Sally out." Sally tells him as the train travels along the rails, almost silently through the night.  
Tails steadies the engine's speed, slowing it down as they enter the former train station in downtown Mobotropolis. As he approaches, he sees many freedom fighters waving and cheering.  
"What's this?" Tails asks as the train slowly pulls into the station.  
"I don't know, Tails...." Sally says. She nudges Sonic, who is asleep in the chair next to her.  
"Sonic, wake up. We're home." she tells him.  
Sonic yawns and stretches, seeing that it's Freedom Fighters lining the rail terminal. Rotor walks up to the engine as it stops.  
"Guys, we got the great news. We told everybody, and they're partying in the streets." The walrus tells them.  
"I can see that." Sonic says, rubbing the back of his head.  
The crowd starts cheering "Freedom! Freedom!" As the Freedom Fighters step out of the locomotive and off of the train.  
"So much for hoping to get a quiet night's rest..." Sonic chuckles as he hugs Sally.  
"That's alright. We have our Kingdom, our City, and our Home back. And you know that you had a big part in this, Sonic Hedgehog." Sally says, kissing his cheek, causing Sonic to blush.  
"Aww, Sally... it's what we heroes do." Sonic smiles, walking with Sally amongst the crowd.  
The princess and the rebel then approach King Maximillian Acorn.  
"Sonic, I wanted to thank you myself for ridding us of the evil wizard Ixis Naugus." He speaks.  
"No prob, Sire. I was just doing what I was supposed to." Sonic says.  
Tails notices that Knuckles is walking in a different direction, however.  
"Knuckles, where are you going?" Tails asks.  
"I have to get back home. My island needs me." The echidna replies to the twin-tailed fox.  
"Yeah, but...why don't you let me fly ya back in my plane? We'll arrive at your island by morning if we leave now." The fox offers.  
Knuckles shrugs. "Alright. It beats walkin' and glidin'."  
The fox walks with the echidna towards his plane. Tails hops into the pilot's seat and starts the plane. Knuckles hops into the passenger seat behind him. Within seconds, they are off and in the air. The echidna looks over the side of the biplane, watching the clouds fly by over the bay, as they head out over the ocean.  
"Wow, Tails... we must be five thousand... ten thousand feet up..." Knuckles says, looking behind him as Boulder Bay gradually shrinks and fades towards the horizon.  
"Yeah, about eight thousand feet up. We're going at around three hundred miles per hour, so I hope we make it soon." Tails replies as he steers the plane.  
Within minutes, Tails sees an island in the ocean up ahead. This island is most unusual out of any Tails has seen, since it's actually hovering and floating on the surface of the shallow ocean from the residual Master Emerald radiation.  
"I've never seen that island before..." He says.  
"That's Angel Island... at least... it will be again once it rises back up." Knuckles says.  
"I'm confused. What do you mean?" The fox inquires.  
"My Master Emerald keeps Angel Island soaring in the skies over Mobius. Without it, the island sinks like a big rock. Luckily, it just hit the ocean, and it's shallow around here, so it didn't sink to the bottom off the sea floor." Knuckles explains.  
"Isn't it dangerous to have something that powerful with only you guarding it?" Tails asks.  
Knuckles laughs.  
"I'm not the only one guarding it. I have friends that help protect it. Overall, though... this little gem is pretty unknown. Most people think it's an amethyst or even a Chaos Emerald." He explains, referring to how Nack the Weasel and Silver stole the emerald from him.  
Tails slows down and brings the plane in closer. He looks for a place to land.  
"Over there in that field is a good place to bring us down, Tails." Knuckles says.  
"I won't make it, though... the forest's right up against it and I'm going too fast."  
"That's alright. I'll just have to glide down, then." Knuckles says.  
"Wait... what?" Tails speaks, watching as Knuckles holds onto the wing, standing up on the plane.  
"What are you doing? You'll fall!" Tails says.  
"Nah. I'll be fine, Tails." Knuckles says, jumping off, gliding alongside the Winged Victory.  
"You Freedom Fighters take it easy, alright?" He speaks.  
Tails looks in amazement from the pilot's seat.  
Ah... alright..." He says, surprised.  
"Don't be strangers! Stop by for a visit!" Knuckles shouts as he glides down towards the island's surface.  
"Uh... yeah. We'll do that, Knuckles..." Tails says with a smile.  
He thinks to himself "How does he do that?"  
He then snaps his fingers. "It must be the Master Emerald giving him those abilities."  
The fox turns the plane around in a medium-sized 180-degree loop, and looks behind as the island starts to slowly rise up from the ocean.  
"Way to go, Knuckles!" Tails says, knowing the Master Emerald is once more in its rightful place among the clouds.

In the rubble of the collapsed mine shaft, the rocks shake a bit. A hand punches through the rocks as the figure digs itself out, coughing from the dust.  
"I cannot comprehend how the Quickster, Kitsune, and Echidna actually defeated me..." Ixis Naugus says as he pushes the boulders and rocks off of his body.  
"They are fools, though... I can never die, since my body here is an illusion, broadcast from the Void. I'll forever be a threat to them as long as they cannot destroy the Void." He grumbles to himself.  
"I shall recover and strike again, and again, until you all perish. I won't give up until Mobius is my domain." Ixis says, already planning on how to resume his plans for global conquest.


	11. Chapter 11

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

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Timeline: May 17, 3241 - Late Spring  
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Chapter 10 - Revelations of the Past

"Rotor, you said you wanted to show me something?" Sonic asks his walrus friend.  
"Yeah. It's just over here." Rotor replies, walking down the street with Sonic in downtown Mobotropolis.  
"What are we looking for?" He asks.  
"It's what the others have been building lately." Rotor explains as he leads Sonic, Sally, and Tails into the large park in the middle of the city.  
In front of the furs are two 100-foot tall marble pillars, surounded by flower beds, enclosed in an 8-foot high black marble wall surrounding everything within this part of the park.  
"What is this?" Tails asks.  
Rotor removes his hat and tucks it into his shoulder-slung belt.  
"This is the war memorial that the others have been building for the past week." He explains.  
"This is fascinating... who designed this?" Sally asks Rotor.  
"Well, I was in charge of bringing in the marble from the Marble Garden Zone, but the sculpting went to some of the Lower Mobius Freedom Fighters, and Antoine did the whole overall layout." The walrus replies to Sally.  
"Wait... Antoine did all this? Man... maybe he's not the little french fry I thought he was after all..." Sonic says, scratching his left ear with his hand.  
"Sonic... that is so incredibly rude..." Sally tells him.  
"Zat is truly alright, my princess... I expected something like zat from ze hedgehog." Antoine speaks up as he finishes chiseling a bas-Relief into one of the pillars.  
"Look, Ant... sorry about that. I just thought you were cowardly... I didn't think you were artistic like this..." Sonic says, apologizing to the french coyote.  
"It's alright, Sonic. After all, I am a man of quality and culture." He says as he stands up from kneeling on the ladder while he chisels into the marble.  
"So, what is all this? What does it stand for?" Tails asks.  
"This is Memorial Park. These two pillars stand for the loss of military and civilian people during the war. At the top, we've sculpted out a female representing the Mother of Mobius... the mothers of the soldiers and civilian people lost. She's a generic fur, since we didn't want to focus on any one group or species. She watches peacefully over the dead, but mourns, with her hands together. She wears a long-flowing hooded dress, representing purity and faith. She watches over the dead as they rest in peace, knowing of the hard sacrifices they gave for our Free Mobius. The sculptures along the pillars are the coats of arms of the various tribes and army regiments that perished in battle. The second sculpture represents the Father of Mobius, also mourning for the losses of the dead. However, he represents those lost under Robotnik, either killed or roboticized. The flowers at their feet also represent peace, and the tears they've cried over their lost loved ones. Antoine came up with all that by himself." Rotor says.  
"Whoa... that's deep, Ant..." Sonic says in surprise as he looks up at the sculpture.  
"Oui... I know." Antoine replies.  
"What's the wall for?" Tails asks as he looks to the side.  
"Ze wall will eventually contain the names of every single person lost in battle. We already have many, many names" Antoine tells Tails.  
Sonic walks over to the Wall. He sees the names on the wall, the names of people he once knew and the names of parents and relatives of his friends.  
"There's a lot of people I once knew as a kid up here... where are they buried?" Sonic asks as he reads the names, tracing his finger along them.  
He feels the lettering, but can still barely believe it's real. He's come so far and through so much in his brief 24 years of life. It's hard for the spiky, blue-furred hedgehog to believe that the era of piece has finally arrived once again.  
"They're all interred at the Mobian National Cemetary, right next to this memorial." Rotor tells him.  
Sonic reads slowly, following his finger as it passes the names of Sabina, Dulcy's mother, and of Bunnie's family. He stops when he comes to two names he instantly finds familiar to him. He doubles over, shivering a bit.  
"Sonic, what's wrong?" Sally asks, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
He grits his teeth, eyes clenched shut, tears forming .  
"It's like someone kicked me in the stomach..." He replies.  
His reaction is particularly strong, but understandable for someone who has found the name of their parents among those killed in war.  
"Oh, Sonic... I'm so sorry..." Sally tells him, kneeling down and hugging him tightly.  
"It's okay, Sonic..." Tails says, standing next to him.  
"H-how did they die?" Sonic asks.  
"Uncle Chuck and I can find that out at the National Archives Building, just down the street." Rotor tells him.  
"Then that should be our next destination." Sonic says, standing back up.  
Sally and Tails help Sonic back up. The five Freedom Fighters then embark on their walk down the street, into one of the large skyscrapers in Mobotropolis. They soon find their way to the room that Uncle Chuck is in.  
"Uncle Chuck, Rotor told us that you have records of everyone killed in battle... is that true?" Sonic asks.  
"Yes, it is, Sonny-boy. They're all in this Building. Why?" He replies.  
"We want to learn about our parents, and if they died during the Great War." Tails speaks up.  
Uncle Chuck sighs. He was hoping this day wouldn't come for a few more years.  
"Alright. You might not like what you see, though." He says as he opens up a few cabinets, placing some manila folders on the tabletop.  
Sonic, Tails, Rotor, and Antoine start going through the folders.  
"It says here that my dad was a member of the "Rocket Knights"... what were they?" Sonic asks.  
"The Rocket Knights were the King's elite fighter pilots. That special attack force piloted the fastest and most advanced aircraft ever built. Those ace pilots defended the Royal Castle and the kingdom against incoming missiles and enemy pilots. Your father was flying over the battlefield when he encountered enemy fighter jets. There was a dogfight, and he was shot down. He crash-landed in the Great Forest south of Furville. He was gravely injured when he saw the enemies advancing, and he was outnumbered and outgunned, so he detonated the self-destruct bomb to keep the enemies from learning about our technology. If they had learned about our planes and technology in great detail, they would have duplicated it, we would have lost the war, and far worse things would have happened. He was a hero." Uncle Chuck explains.  
Sonic nods. "And my mother?"  
"She gave birth to you a few days after your father was killed. She loved you and took great care of you, and when Robotnik rose to power, she instructed me to bring you to Rosie, who would take you to Knothole, where you'd be safe. She was killed in Battle trying to evacuate unarmed civilians from Mobotropolis." He speaks. He pauses, then faces Tails.  
"Your mother was killed in the war, and your Uncle Merlin Prower has not been heard from since the war, and we think he was killed as well. Your father did survive, though. He was roboticized by Robotnik, but he regained his free will. Your father's in Knothole." Uncle Chuck tells him.  
"That's good news..." Tails says.  
He's glad his father survived, but still saddened by the loss everyone else has.  
"Did anyone else's parents make it?" Rotor asks.  
"No. Knuckles' father was assasinated by the overlanders when he rescued Elias from the downed royal transport plane on Angel Island. Bunnie's parents were captured and later roboticized by Robotnik. Antoine's father died in combat, as did Rotor's." Uncle Chuck tells them.  
"I see. So we were basically on our own the whole time..." Rotor asks.  
"More or less, though Rosie helped you out. You kids did a great job in defending the kingdom. You were so young, but took up the mantle to fight and defend, much as yuor parents had. As Freedom Fighters and even children and teens, you have been through so much already, and I'm amazed you grew up as well as you did." Uncle Chuck says, complimenting the younger furs.  
"We did what needed to be done, Uncle Chuck." Sonic replies.  
"You know, Sonny-boy, there's a history book at the Mobian Library I saw earlier that might help you out. It explains a lot of things." Uncle Chuck tells them.  
"We'll definitely check that book out later. Do you know its title?" Sonic asks.  
"I think it's called "The History of Mobius", if i recall correctly." Uncle Chuck replies.  
"Cool. We'll go down there and take a look at it." Sonic says to his uncle.

The blue hedgehog pauses for a second. "Uncle Chuck, I know you're pretty busy with organizing things for the King and his government, so we should get going back to Knothole Village."  
"You're not a bother, Sonny-boy. You and your friends are always welcome here." He replies.  
"Let's go back to Knothole. We left to defeat Ixis so quickly, that I didn't even get to meet my dad." Tails says.  
"Wanna race, little buddy?" Sonic grins.  
"You bet! Last one there's a dirty robot!" Tails yells.  
The fox coils his tails behind him, letting out a huge spin, racing with sonic down the hall.  
"Those boys... you can't keep 'em down." Sally says, walking towards the door.  
Rotor holds on to his hat and Uncle Chuck shields himself from the wind caused by their running.  
"I'll let you kids get going. I know you have things to do." Uncle Chuck tells Sally and Rotor.  
"Thanks for showing this stuff to us, though, Uncle Chuck." Rotor says, shaking his hand.  
"Anytime, children. Now, don't be late." He says, waving as they walk off.

"You know, Sonic... since we're going to be living in Mobotropolis again, we should consider moving Freedom HQ here." Sally tells him as she walks.  
"How do you move a building?" Sonic asks.  
"Simple. We re-dedicate an existing one, and live there. It will be our training center and our meeting place." She replies.  
"Sounds fair. I just got a cool idea, too." Sonic tells her.  
"I'm afraid to ask." Sally speaks.  
"We use 'Buttnik's old haunting ground as our headqarters. It's huge, and has all sorts of electronic equipment...." Sonic tells her.  
"That's a very good idea, Sonic. I like it." She tells him.  
"I know... thank you." He chuckles.

Back in Knothole.  
Sparks are flying as a gloved, shielded person works on a mechanical device.  
"Here we are. Your artificial intelligence processor." Snively speaks, swishing his tail as he carefully places the processor into the central board of the robot.  
Nack and Karl are overseeing his work, making sure he does nothing sneaky.  
"What do you have left to do?" Nack asks the fox.  
"I just have to connect the wires, run diagnostics, and program it now. I'll need Rotor's help with the programming when he gets back from his workshop." Snively replies.  
"That's fine. We'll let him know you need him when that time comes." Karl tells him.

On the Floating Island, a familiar skunk is walking through the lush, tropical rainforest, near the mountains.  
"Geoffrey, what's troubling you?" the younger squirrel asks the 30-something ex-military soldier.  
The skunk stops pacing, looking up. "I'm very uneasy from that blue hedgehog defeating me in battle in Mobotropolis..."  
"Maybe you just need a second try against him." Elias asks.  
"Perhaps. The time needs to be right, though." The skunk speaks as he sits on a log.  
The two furs listen to the sounds of the tropical rainforest, until they hear voices.  
"who is that?" Geoffrey asks.  
"I don't know..." Elias whispers, crawling towards the voices, peering through the foliage of the jungle.  
A red echidna glides down and lands on Angel Island's edge, and is greeted by his two friends, an armadillo and a flying squirrel.  
"Heya, Knux-man! Welcome back to the Island!" Mighty the armadillo says as he greets Knuckles.  
"Welcome back, guardian. Were you able to retrieve your emerald?" Ray the flying squirrel asks.  
"Oh yeah. Got that baby right in my backpack." Knuckles says as he walks with the two of his friends.  
After a few seconds, Knuckles remembers something.  
"Oh! I ran into an old pal of yours... Sonic the Hedgehog." He says.  
Geoffrey spies on them, and growls at hearing the very name of Sonic. Elias begs him to keep quiet. Although he knows Knuckles, he also knows that the Guardian wouldn't appreciate being spied upon in the least.  
"How is he?" Mighty asks.  
"I haven't seen him since we were imprisoned at that working camp..." Ray says, recalling their last adventures together.  
"He's good. They've defeated Robotnik. That's gonna make our job a LOT easier." Knuckles says. The three furs walk, almost out of sight and earshot now.  
Geoffrey and Elias stand up.  
"You got very angry when you heard Sonic's name... did he do something to you?" Elias asks.  
"Yeah. He showed me up and gave me a lickin' when I tried to defend Ixis Naugus and Mobotropolis." Geoffrey explains.  
"Ixis? Why would you side with that maniac?" Elias asks, very confused.  
"I had to, Elias. He defeated Robotnik. He restored the city. He offered either life and honour, or death and dishonour to us. Being a military man, I chose honour. I wanted to serve my country and protect its people. I thought that serving Ixis would fulfil that." Geoffrey speaks.  
The two furs overhear Knuckles and Mighty talking about getting a spare emerald or two, in case the Master Emerald is stolen, then the island will still be safe.  
"Hmmm...emeralds have unlimited power..." Geoffrey thinks to himself.  
"Why does it matter so much to you if Sonic is a hero or not?" Elias asks.  
"He makes everyone else look bad and weak. I am of the King's trusted Secret Service, I am the best at what I do! I will not be beaten by some fast-running blue goofball who doesn't even know how to take things seriously!" He growls, clenching his fists. "I know just how to do it, too. I just need to find one of those emeralds, then I'll teach him a lesson he won't soon forget. He may as well retire after I'm done with 'im."  
"Don't do it, Geoffrey! ...you don't have to prove yourself... I believe in you, I always have." Elias tells him.  
"I won't hurt 'im much, and I certainly won't kill 'im. I just want to prove to the King and Sonic that I still have honour and I can be depended on. I'm easily as strong as that young little punk." Geoffrey tells the squirrel.  
As Elias tries to beg Geoffrey to change his mind, the skunk simply shrugs off the younger fur's pleading. He returns towards the Embassy, where Elias has been living for the past 18 years.  
"Elias, I'm going back to Mobotropolis. I'll prove the King that I'm still worthy of protecting the crown. It's what my family's done for generations. You stay here. If the Guardian asks where I've gone, tell him I have some business to take care of." He tells Elias as he walks, leaving Elias in the doorway of the Embassy.  
Elias feels uneasy with what's going on. He hears Knuckles walking towards him, and approaches the echidna.  
"Knuckles, I need your help." Elias tells him.  
"Oh yeah? What's going on?" The echidna asks.  
"Well... Geoffrey's gone off to challenge Sonic the Hedgehog to a fight, and I'm worried things could get out of hand..." The squirrel speaks.  
Knuckles thinks about this for a second.  
"What's the worst he could do, other than lay a smackdown on Sonic?" Knuckles wonders.  
"He wants to find a chaos emerald and undergo a super transformation to fight Sonic." Elias replies.  
"Mm. That could be a cause for concern. I'll let Nack and the weasels know he's on his way over." Knuckles tells his friend as he walks into the building.  
"Nack??? Why on mobius would you ever tell HIM? He's a convicted felon!" Elias yelps, surprised.  
"He's a reformed felon. The weasel and his brothers work for the king as his personal bodyguards now. Was that or death in the Devil's Gulag. The King said life in prison, but they'd end up being murdered there..." Knuckles explians.  
"I see..." Elias nods his head.  
Geoffrey searches through the brush on the edge of the Floating Island.  
"Come on... where did I put you...?" He mutters to himself, searching for his bag of goods he buried in the bushes.  
"AHA!" He grins, finally finding his items.  
The skunk picks up his handgun, and checks to make sure it's full of ammunition, then unfolds his hang-glider.  
"Now, all I need is to get off this island, and find a chaos emerald... and I know you have one, Hedgehog." Geoffrey says to himself, pushing off the Floating Island.  
He glides over the ocean, going with the wind towards the coast. A couple hours later, the skunk touches down on the shore, near Boulder Bay. He pushes his hang-glider aside and starts walking towards the Great Forest. As he clears the giant boulders along the shore, he sees some familiar figures walking in the distance.  
"Well... isn't that convenient?" He asks himself. He starts running towards the figures in the distance.  
As the Freedom Fighters walk back to Knothole, they hear shouting from behind.  
"Hey, you wait up!" Geoffrey shouts.  
Sonic turns around.  
"You again? What do you want?" Sonic asks.  
"I wanna have a word with you. Your super-speed antics over the past few years have put ex-military guys like me outta work. I could've taken Robotnik down myself, and quite easily, at that." He speaks.  
"Then why didn't you? We needed all the help we could get." Tails speaks up.  
"The freedom fighter groups we encountered didn't want us, and I think you'd know how risky it is to go on solo missions." He tells the younger fox.  
"So, why are you coming to us? Last time we saw you, you tried to attack us because you were one of Ixis' hired guns." Sonic speaks.  
"I had to side with Kodos and Ixis Naugus because they actually offered people help, unlike the "Kingdom of Acorn", and they both disappeared after Mobotropolis fell to the royal troops. I think you had something to do with that." Geoffrey tells him.  
"Whoa, whoa... I didn't end the Great War, and I CERTAINLY didn't put Robotnik in power. If you have a problem with me, then tell me what it is." Sonic tells Geoffrey.  
"Sonic, I'm a soldier to the core. My dad was a soldier, and his dad was, and so on. It's in my blood. I'm a patriot and I'm loyal to the crown. I'll even be willing to die for my country. Without the military, I'm nothing. That's why I'm gonna show you that I'm your equal as a person and as a Freedom Fighter. I don't know how, but I will." Geoffrey vows.  
Sonic raises and eyebrow.  
"Ya know... superpowers aren't inherited or given out like candy. They are earned and given to you if you deserve them. They are a huge responsobility... I should know. With a cocky attitude like that, you'd be a bad steward of any powers." Sonic tells him.  
"You lecture ME on cocky? Listen here, little pincushion, I'm 30 and I should be able to take you anytime, anywhere." He tells Sonic.  
"If you're six years older than me, then why don't you act like it?" Sonic chuckles.  
"Very funny. I'll make you eat those words someday, Sonic. Just remember that." He growls as he walks off.  
Sonic then looks at Sally and Tails.  
"What's his problem?" Sonic asks.  
"He's disenchanted. Thinks the kingdom abandoned him when it fell." Tails tells him.  
"You mean like he was under a spell but someone kissed him and broke it? Who'd wanna do THAT? Yuck!" Sonic says, making a gesture like he's throwing up.  
"No no... he feels alienated and abandoned, like he has no hope. Nothing to gain and nothing to lose." Rotor says.  
"Oh. Well, that sucks, then." Sonic says as he walks.

"Oh, I'll show them all who can be their equal." The black-and-white furred skunk says as he walks through the forest.

The guardian travels down a couple hallways in the embassy towards a secret room. He looks around, then unlocks the door, entering it. The echidna sits down at the communications console. Rotor walks back towards his hut, having walked with Sonic and the Freedom Fighters from Mobotropolis.  
"Island in the Sky to Knothole Freedom Fighters...Island in the sky...can you hear me?" Knuckles asks.  
Rotor hears this on his console, just as he finishes grabbing some electrical components. He sits down at the console.  
"Freedom HQ... Rotor here. What's going on, Knuckles?" Rotor speaks into his shortwave microphone.  
"Listen... a skunk with an attitude is on the search for a chaos emerald. He wants to fight Sonic and prove to the king that he can lead the army. I think you should let Sonic know, just so he doesn't get caught off-guard." Knuckles tells him.  
"Alright. Is there anything we should know about this skunk?" Rotor inquires.  
"Yeah. His name's Sir Geoffrey St. John. A former commando, and ex-leader of the King's Secret Service." Knuckles informs his friend.  
"I'll let the Freedom Fighters know. Thanks, Knux." Rotor says.  
He gets back up, and picks up his box of electrical components, walking over towards the hut where Snively is working on the metal hedgehog robot. The walrus opens the door to his workshop, finding Snively working on a largely-completed Silver Sonic.  
"You're nearly done?" Rotor asks, somewhat surprised.  
"Of course I am. I have a tremendous knowledge of machinery and electronics. I would've been done hours ago if these two weasels weren't constantly distracting me..." Snively mutters, pointing at Nack and Karl, who are watching Snively.  
"We're just making sure Snively doesn't go back on his word to help you guys." Karl tells Rotor.  
"Well, I'm back, and what do you need help with?" The walrus asks the smaller fox.  
"I'm about to run diagnostics, but I need to power him up first." Snively says to him.  
"How much power does this robot need?" Rotor inquires.  
"I've put in a 500 kilowatt engine in Silver Sonic to power him." Snively replies.

Geoffrey walks forward, seeing a hut in front of him. He watches Snively work on Silver Sonic, with Nack and Karl watching him. Next to Snively, is the Chaos Device.  
"That may not be a chaos emerald, but THAT is how I'll show Sonic that I'm still a big contender." He speaks to himself.  
He waits, listening to what the voices inside are saying. He then tosses a rock at the wall.  
"Did you hear that?" Karl asks, walking over with Nack to the other side of the hut, looking around.  
While the two weasels are looking, Geoffrey reaches in and grabs the Chaos Device.

Rotor is quite amused. "Do you need that much power? Becuase... we don't have that type of power generation here in Knothole."  
"That's alright. I have my own method of powering up this robot." Snively replies.  
The small fox gets up and starts looking around for his gun-shaped Chaos Device.  
"I know it's right... around... here... somewhere..." He says to himself.  
Nack watches him. "What are you looking for?"  
Snively becomes very nervous. "Oh no... I can't find it..." he says.  
"Can't find what?" Karl asks the fox.  
"The Chaos Device. It's a gun-shaped device that almost perfectly duplicates the energy of a Chaos Emerald... It was a research project of my own that i used to better understand the properties of Chaos Energy. It was originally going to be used against you furballs, becuase I had started this back when the Big Round Guy was still in control. Now, however... I can use it to power up Silver Sonic. Silver Sonic's not finished yet, and I don't know if it's going to give temporary boosts. It uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds to be focused on something else. I intend to use that to power up Silver Sonic." Snively tells the weasels as he looks for the device.

Geoffrey walks back into the forest, waiting until he's a safe-distance from Knothole Village. He sets the gun down on a log, and turns it on.  
"Time to be taught, hedgehog." He says to himself, setting the gun to go off in just 5 seconds.  
The skunk gets up, and jumps into the blast as the gun goes off.  
A bright golden flash illuminates the area. Geoffrey stands up, looking himself over. He's glowing from the blast of the Chaos Device.  
"Class is now in session, hedgehog!" He shouts, leaving the gun on the log as he runs towards the village.

Karl and Nack see a gold-glowing skunk running towards them. The weasels stand firm and Nack grasps his gun.  
"You! Freeze!" He shouts, not knowing if the skunk approaching him is friend or foe.  
"I don't have time for you, foolish weasel!" Geoffrey says, punching Nack with enough force to send him right into the wall of the hut, knocking him out. Karl runs up to him from behind, but is knocked to the ground with a well-timed kick to the stomach. Geoffrey catches both of their guns before they even hit the ground. He aims one at Karl.  
"Boys, I don't have anything against you, so just stay out of my way. Got it?" he asks the weasels, and Karl nods weakly.  
Snively and Rotor hear a loud thud against the wall.  
"What was that?" Rotor asks, walking towards the window.  
He looks outside, seeing Geoffrey giving a kick to Karl.  
"I know what happened to your Chaos Device, Snively..." The walrus tells the fox, pulling him down so they're not seen.  
The two furs crawl towards the door, then run out of the hut, into the meadow.  
"Sonic! We have an intruder!" Rotor yells.  
The hedgehog hears this and walks out of his hut.  
"What are you talkin' about, Rote?" He asks.  
He's answered by Geoffrey, who sees him, and walks over.  
"It's time for you to be taken down a peg, Sonic." Geoffrey shouts.  
He charges forth towards Sonic, who runs towards Geoffrey as well. The skunk slides just as he approaches the hedgehog. He spins his legs and tail, tripping Sonic. He grabs his arms, swings the hedgehog, and lets go, watching his head connect with the tree, sending him right through it. The blue hedgehog rubs his head, and struggles to get himself free from being sent through the oak tree.  
"Nnng... Urf..." He grunts, struggling to get free.  
Geoffrey continues to walk closer to him, teasing him. "Come on, boy. I thought you had more fight in ya than that."  
Sonic frees himself, and jumps at Geoffrey, doing a Super Sonic Spin. The skunk simply shields himself, and it's like nothing happened.  
"Afraid, little boy blue?" Geoffrey asks Sonic.  
"You wish, Odor-eater!" Sonic replies.  
He places a hand on the ground, and starts running in place. His feet begin moving in a "figure-eight" pattern.  
"This isn't a dance contest. I'm here to defeat you in battle." Geoffrey says, watching him.  
"oh, you'll see what i'm doin'." Sonic grins, getting ready to perform his "Figure-Eight Dash".;  
He lets go, charging towards Geoffrey, laying a powerful kick to his chest, causing him to stumble back a few feet.  
"OOOF! I'll say this... you're pretty skilled..." He says, catching his breath from having the wind knocked out of him.  
He charges towards Sonic again, laying a punch to the hedgehog's face. Rotor and Snively run out, seeing the weasels neutralized for the moment, watching Sonic defending himself from being beaten on by Geoffrey in his super form.  
"I'll get Sally. She'll know what to do." Rotor says, running towards Freedom HQ.  
Sally is packing a few things, when Rotor runs in, opening the door quickly.  
"Sally! We have a huge problem! Geoffrey's somehow gone into a super form of himself, and he's taking on Sonic!" He tells the princess.  
"Oh no." She says, running out the door with him.  
She can see Geoffrey's glowing orange and gold as she runs towards the two fighting furs.  
"Nicole, can you tell me why Geoffrey's glowing?" She asks her handheld computer.  
"Analyzing, Sally. Geoffrey has the residue of power rings attatched to him, though greatly amplified." She tells him.  
"He used a power ring?" She asks her computer.  
"Doubtful, as the energy required is greatly amplified. It may be from a Chaos Emerald." She replies.  
Sally then runs in between the two fighting furs to stop them from fighting and killing each other.  
"Alright, ENOUGH! I won't let this go on for a minute longer, so just tell me why you are fighting." Sally says, very angry.  
"It's for my honour. Sonic's showboating by killing off or defeating all the bad guys, while leaving professional military soldiers like me high and dry. As the most qualified soldier here, I should be the leader of the Freedom Fighters. I was trained by the King himself." He tells the princess.  
She stands firm.  
"So, you want to regain respect and honour, by acting in a disrespectful and dishonourable way?" She asks the skunk.  
"No, I'm proving my honour with strength and force." He replies, getting ready to attack Sonic again.  
The hedgehog dashes to the side. Geoffrey turns to attack him again, when he starts feeling strange.  
"Wait... what's going on?" He asks himself, looking all over his body as his golden glow suddenly vanishes.  
"Looks like you've run out of gas, skunky. The boost was temporary." Sonic chuckles.  
"Ha ha. Very funny." He replies, feeling weaker.  
"I can still take you... super form... or not..." the skunk says as he collapses from exhaustion.  
As Geoffrey fades from consciousness, he can hear and see Sonic and the Freedom Fighters rushing towards him, speaking about "moving him to a secure place".

As the sun sets on the floating island, a metallic figure lands on the edge, scanning the area.  
"Foliage... Giant Mushrooms... nothing to indicate the presence of habitation by intelligent evolved life forms... Will continue search for energy supply." Metal Sonic says as he scans the area. He takes off once more, into the forest. His energy levels start to spike dramatically as he nears the center of the island, near its mountains. The metal robot stops and looks down onto the ground.  
"Energy source located." He says to himself.

Knuckles and Mighty are standing in the Master Emerald Chamber. Knuckles feels the walls for any recent attempts to dig their way into the cave.  
"It looks secure, Mighty. I really appreciate you helping me guard the master Emerald like this." The echidna tells the armadillo.  
"Hey, it's alright. I'd be bored out of my mind if I didn't help ya with your missions." He says.  
As soon as he finishes speaking, the wall begins to vibrate slightly. A fist punches through... a robotic fist. Knuckles stands back as the robotic hedgehog claws its way through, into the chamber.  
"S-Sonic???" Knuckles asks, shocked.  
Metal Sonic turns to Knuckles. "I am not Sonic the Hedgehog. I am Metal Sonic, also known as Metallix, the robotic superior to that organic hedgehog. You must be Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of the Master Emerald."  
"Y-yeah..." Knuckles says, surprised, but then shakes his fear off. "And what are you doing in here anyway? This is a secret, prohibited area."  
"I'm here to recharge my fuel-cells with your Master Emerald. Though... I could use some information from you." Metal Sonic says, walking up to the Emerald, touching it with a metallic claw.  
"You take your hand off of my emerald this second! I'll throw you right off the edge, and you can swim back to the mainland!" Knuckles growls.  
Metal Sonic turns around.  
"You can keep your emerald. I just need to touch it to refuel my energy cells, anyway. However... since you want to threaten me, I think I'll play your little game." He says, walking up to Knuckles, grabbing him by the throat, raising him off the ground.  
"Where is the hedgehog?" He asks, his eyes glowing red.  
"Oh, crap! Knuckles!" Mighty says, punching the back of the robot's head. Metal Sonic doesn't even notice, with his metal skin shielding the blow.  
"I won't tell you..." Knuckles growls, trying to kick the robot in the torso as he struggles to breathe from the robot's strong grip around his throat.  
Metal Sonic grips around Knuckles' throat tighter. Mighty punches the machine again.  
"Let 'im go, you over-grown calculator!" He tells Metal Sonic.  
The robot grins, throwing Knuckles across the room, and kicks Mighty.  
The armadillo and echidna struggle to get back up, and they can only watch as the robot jumps onto the Master Emerald, standing atop it. He begins to absorb its energy, soon causing arcs of electricity to flow over his metallic body.  
"No! I can't let you destroy the emerald! You can't use it for evil purposes!" Knuckles says as he gets up.  
Metal Sonic steps down from the Master Emerald, and dodges a punch by the echidna.  
"Tell me where the hedgehog is, or I will end both of your lives." Metal Sonic speaks.  
"We'll never betray our friends." Mighty and Knuckles reply.  
"Very well. It's your funeral, furballs." The robot says as he slashes at Knuckles, elbowing Mighty as he runs up to Metal Sonic from the left.  
The metallic robot sharpens his claws and slashes again at Knuckles, gouging into the strong echidna's flesh. He yelps in pain, grabbing his now bleeding arm.  
"I'm going to slash you to ribbons just beacuse you resist me so fiercely." He says.  
Metal Sonic grabs Knuckles, his claws piercing the echidna's skin on his shoulder.  
"Perhaps I should take you and your friends back to be Roboticized... or leave you here to die by yourselves... I have so many delightful decisions at my disposal, and yet your fate doesn't matter to me one bit."  
Knuckles is flinching, wincing and doubling over in pain from his injuries. His eyes are watering as he tries to resist the pain from his injuries. Mighty goes to run towards him, but Knuckles waves Mighty to stand back.  
"Knux, why don't you want me to help ya?" Mighty asks.  
"War games. Divide and c-conquer. He wants to injure me to slow us down, and to have you help me so he can kill both of us." He says to his friend.  
Metal Sonic simply listens in on what the two organic life forms in front of him have to say.  
"So, what should I do? I can't leave you here to die. Should I run and get help?" He asks.  
"Run? Y-yeah... get out of here, Mighty. Get the others to safety. I can take this guy." Knuckles says, looking up at Metal Sonic.  
"Oooh. Such brave words, from the "Strongest" of the echidnas. You guardians are supposed to be very powerful, and all iI get is a weakling of a pup." He speaks. He then turns to Mighty.  
"Yes, boy. Run away, so I can hunt you. It'll be a fun little game after I've killed your friends."  
Mighty looks repeatedly at the entrance, then at Knuckles, internally fighting wether to stay with his friend, or abandon him to get help for him. He decides to stay with Knuckles and defend the Master Emerald. Knuckles tries to stand up. His left glove is soaked with the blood flowing from the gash on his right forearm.  
"I'll die to protect my Island from the likes of you. It's my born duty. My family's done it for hundreds of years." Knuckles says.  
"Famous last words. It's the end of the line for you!" Metal Sonic slashes Knuckles again, across his chest in an attempt to break his ribs. Knuckles jumps back to avoid this, and is merely slashed again, successfully by Metal Sonic this time. He falls over in pain, shivering a bit from the pain.  
"What a pity. I thought it would be harder than this..." Metal Sonic says, stabbing a claw right into Knuckles' left shoulder.  
"GYAHHH! W-What are you doing to me?" He yells in pain.  
"I'm going to steal your abilities from you. I'll use them against Sonic, and do the same to him. I'm already unbeatable, but it doesn't hurt to steal abilities and powers from enemies, before I kill them." He taunts Knuckles, injecting a poisonous fluid filled with nanites into him.  
"This poison will drain your powers and life force, and give them to me. As the microscopic nanites absorb your energy, they'll beam it to me. Enjoy your life as just another normal echidna. IF you survive, that is." He taunts and explains.  
Mighty looks around and crawls up the ladder leading out of the Master Emerald Chamber. He finds an old branch on the ground and jumps back.  
"STEAL THIS!" He yells, smashing the log into Metal Sonic, knocking him over from the force.  
The robot simply gets up and dusts himself off, pulling the needle from Knuckles.  
"You really want to be next, don't you? I'd be glad to get rid of you, and your anger problems." He speaks, firing a couple electric beams at Mighty, trying to electrocute him.  
Knuckles weakly stands up and tries to pull Metal Sonic away, to focus on him only.  
"Enough distractions. I must find Sonic, and kill him!" Metal Sonic tells the guardian of the Master Emerald.  
Metal Sonic knocks out Knuckles with one punch to the head, before tossing him into Mighty, rendering them both unconscious. He looks back as he climbs out of the Master Emerald Chamber.  
"You two were weak adversaries. We should do this again, when I'm stronger." Metal Sonic speaks, laughing as he flies off towards Sonic.

Elias and Ray are getting nervous and impatient.  
"Mighty and Knuckles are taking too long... I'm worried something's happened." Elias says.  
"Should we go looking for them?" Ray asks.  
Elias nods, standing up. "That's a good idea."  
The two squirrels start looking around in the jungle for Knuckles and Mighty. Ray stumbles across the secret entrance to the Master Emerald chamber. He looks inside, and finds Knuckles and Mighty are gravely injured.  
"Elias! I found them! They're hurt!" Ray shouts.  
Elias runs over, and the two crawl down the ladder, and help their friends up.  
"Who did this to you?" Ray asks Mighty and Knuckles.  
"Metal Sonic. Robotnik's robotic clone of Sonic. He absorbed the Master Emerald's energy and beat us. He wants to murder Sonic." Mighty says.  
"Does he know where Sonic is?" Elias asks.  
"No, but he won't stop looking until he finds him." Knuckles replies.  
"That's fine. I'll go to Knothole Village and help the Freedom Fighters out. Hopefully, I can slow down Metal Sonic." Elias tells Knuckles.  
"I don't know... that's extremely risky..." The echidna says.  
"Yes, but I've been able to defend myself in the past. You and Mighty taught me so, and I've always wanted to go back down to the mainland. This'll be my chance to do some good." Elias tells his long-time friends.  
"How will you get there?" Ray asks Elias.  
"I'm the adventurous type. I could build a raft and sail to the mainland, and walk there. As for getting down... I haven't figured that one out just yet, but I'll think of something." Elias tells them.

Geoffrey wakes up, and looks around him. He's in a prison cell. A very familiar place to him. He's in the Devil's Gulag prison.  
"W-what happened? Where am I?" He asks himself.  
"You're in the Devil's Gulag, odor-eater." A voice says from across the cell.  
The skunk sits up, seeing that he's in the same cell as Warlord Kodos.  
"You left me hangin', St. John. You let the Freedom Fighters capture me." He growls.  
Geoffrey clutches the blankets in fear. "N-no. I didn't do that. I fled to attack the freedom fighters. I was gonna rescue you as soon as I found you. I didn't know where you were..." He stammers.  
"Now, see why I can't believe a word you're sayin'? You're contradicting yourself in every sentence. Maybe I should teach you a lesson or two in loyalty." Kodos says as he stands up.  
"Hey, Kodos... don't kill him. Just leave him enough alive for us to deal with." Bean laughs, standing in the neighbouring cell with Bark.  
Kodos snarls as he takes a swing at Geoffrey, punching him in the muzzle. Geoffrey yelps and tries to kick the larger lion away from him. Kodos slashes at the skunk but misses. Geoffrey slips behind Kodos and punches him in the back of the head, actually stunning the lion. Geoffrey pants to himself.  
"I can't keep this up for very long. I'm still exhausted from the battle I had earlier..." He thinks to himself.  
He dodges another punch by Kodos, when he gets an idea. He uses his shoulder-belt by wrapping it around Kodos' throat from behind, strangling the lion.  
"Gonna leave me alone, or do I have to kill ya?" He growls into Kodos' ear.  
The lion snarls, growling and gasping for breath as the skunk chokes him. He tries to reach behind him to grab Geoffrey, but fails. He then nods his head, surrendering.  
"You want a truce?" Geoffrey asks, slackening his belt somewhat so Kodos can reply.  
"Y-yeah. I do." Kodos growls as he rubs his throat.  
"Smart tactic." The lion tells the skunk as Geoffrey removes his belt.

"It's settled, guys. I can't stay here a moment longer. The Kingdom is being restored, and as a member of the Royal Family, I feel it's my duty to help out and do what I can for my people." Elias says as he checks his provisions.  
"Y-ya can't go, Elias... We need ya to help defend the island. Your people are here, too..." Knuckles says weakly, sitting against a giant mushroom.  
"Knuckles, it's alright. I can defend the Island. The Chaotix will help out, too." Mighty assures Knuckles.  
"You sure about that, Mighty?" He asks his friend.  
"Of course I'm sure. I'll even call Remington to help us if that will help you feel at ease with the Island's safety." The armadillo tells the echidna.  
"Thanks. I just don't know if I'm in any condition to protect the Master Emerald and the island right now. You took a few hard knocks, too." Knuckles says, remembering their fight with Metal Sonic. Elias listens in to what the echidna and armadillo were saying.  
"That's why I'm going to the mainland to ask the King for help, Knuckles. I also want to see if my friend Geoffrey is safe. I don't know if he can make it on his own with all the freaks and maniacs running about." Elias explains, tying his rope to a tree, tugging it to test its strength.  
"This looks like it will hold. Wish me luck, Chaotix! I'll return soon." Elias says as he puts on his backpack and jumps over the edge, holding the rope firmly.  
The squirrel slowly but steadily grappels down the side of the floating island in the sky.

As soon as Elias goes over the edge of the island, Mighty runs into the forest in search of help. The armadillo quickly clears some bushes, finding the forest giving way to the large city of Echidnaopolis. He walks down the street of the large city, when a cab driver approaches him from behind in his vehicle. Mighty listens to the familiar droning of the engine as he walks along the street. The armadillo stops and turns around.  
"Harry, is that you?" He asks.  
"The one and only, Mighty." Harry the dingo replies, sitting behind the wheel of the cab. "What can I do for ya? I don't usually see you in this part of town alone."  
Mighty peers into the passenger-side window and replies "I need you to drive me towards the EST Headquarters."  
"Echidna Security Team? What's going on?" Harry asks, unlocking and opening the passenger-side door.  
He grasps the gear-shifter on the steering wheel and places the vehicle in drive again. The car resumes moving along the road.  
"Is this related to how the island fell from the sky a couple weeks back? I tell ya... that caused a lot of panic and chaos... not to mention damaged a lot of buildings... not to mention the civil unrest already there between the dingoes and echidnas..." The dingo says as he drives along the increasingly urbanized street, heading towards the downtown core of the echidna city.  
"Yeah, it's related... but I can't say anything more without Knuckles' permission." Mighty says.  
"Is the K-man alright? Usually you two are never apart."  
"I know. He needs my help on this. Asked me to personally go get Remington for him." The armadillo speaks.  
"Remington... as in, Constable Remington?" The dingo asks, quite surprised. "This must be pretty big to get the Constable involved..." he thinks to himself.

Elias looks down as he grappells along the side of Angel Island. He looks down, seeing he still has at least a mile to go before he even reaches the ocean surface. The squirrel prince stands firm against the island's rocky surface as he reaches into his backpack. He holds a string in his teeth as he undoes another flap on his backpack. He watches as a small dingy inflates. He the pulls the string with his teeth, causing a parachute to unfold.  
"Time to go air rafting." Elias tells himself, holding the dingy with his feet.  
He carefully ties it to the parachute, and crawls into it. The squirrel lets go of the rope, falling fairly quickly but safely towards the surface of the ocean.  
"Ohhh... this is going to be a hard landing..." he thinks to himself as he hits the water.  
The squirrel is fine, just a bit shaken from his stunt. The squirrel starts to paddle towards the shore of the mainland.

"Is he injured? Sick? Dead?" Harry asks, just tossing questions to Mighty about Knuckles as he drives. He and the rest of the Islanders have been pretty shaken and edgy lately since the fall of the island into the ocean.  
"He's alive, and just bruised. He thinks something big's about to happen, though." Mighty replies.  
Harry turns the car to the right at an intersection, slowing around the corner, merging in with traffic carefully onto the busier cross-road.  
"Somethin' big? Last time "somethin' big" happened, Robotnik took over and destroyed the Kingdom of Acorn. "Somethin' big" is what his father Locke said before he was murdered by humans at the Kingdom of Acorn Embassy for tryin' to keep 'em off the Island. At least he was successful and people here weren't murdered, or roboticized like in Mobotropolis..." Harry explains to Mighty, referring to the last "big events" that happened on the island.  
"We're almost here..." Harry says as he pulls into the left-turn lane.  
He immediately pulls into the Echidna Security Team parking lot as traffic clears.  
"Does the constable know you're here to see him?" Harry asks as Mighty opens the door to step out.  
"We're friends. He knows we can rely on each other." Mighty says, stepping out of the car.  
He stands next to the cab.  
"How much do I owe you for the ride over?" Mighty asks.  
"No charge. Just be careful, and watch your back. There are all sorts of deviants that target people that are friends with the cops. I don't wanna be goin' to yer funeral. Just 'cause we escaped the worst of the Great War doesn't mean we're immune to crime." Harry advises the young armadillo.  
"Thanks, Harry. I'll keep that in mind." He says, waving his friend off as he pulls away. The armadillo walks up to the building, and enters the main lobby.  
He walks towards the receptionist desk.  
The echidna accountant at the desk is sorting papers on his desk.  
"Oh! Can I help you?" He asks Mighty.  
"I need to speak with Constable Remington personally." Mighty tells him.  
"I see. Do you have an appointment for a meeting?" He asks.  
"Just tell him that his friend Mighty needs a favour from him." The armadillo replies.  
He watches as the somewhat skeptical echidna contacts Remington on the intercom. The echidna is surprised that Remington knows Mighty, and is told to let him through.  
"He's on floor 5, room 530." The echidna tells the armadillo.  
Mighty walks towards the stairwell and walks up, not caring for using elevators. He reaches the fifth floor quickly, and walks down the hallway. He reads the door's number to make sure he has the right one, and knocks on the door. The echidna inside is watching a couple screens, showing the skies above the island. So far, all is normal. The tan echidna sees only a few echidna aircraft patroling the skies above the island. He looks behind him when he hears a knock on the door.  
"Come in." He speaks.  
Mighty opens the door and steps into the office.  
"Oh, heya, Mighty. I haven't seen you in a while." Remington says.  
"Likewise, Remmy. Listen, we need your help. It's something very serious." He tells the echidna.  
"Serious? How serious?" Remington asks, raising an eyebrow.  
Mighty sits down in the chair on the other side of Remington's desk.  
"The Master Emerald is in extreme danger. Knuckles and I were injured defending it, and he can't safely protect the emerald and the Island in his current state of health. We need you to send a division or two down to the Master Emerald chamber to protect it until Knuckles is better." Mighty explains.  
Remington thinks this over.  
"Alright. I'll send over a couple divisions to the Master Emerald chamber." The echidna replies.  
"There's one more thing that Knuckles asked me to ask you..." Mighty speaks.  
"Yes?"  
"Knuckles wanted you to personally guard the emerald chamber as well." Mighty tells him.  
"Very well. The Guardian has my assurances that I'll help him." Remington speaks.  
He then presses the intercom and notifies two of the security divisions to get ready to move out.

A few minutes later, Ray and Knuckles hear vehicles approaching.  
"What's that?" Knuckles asks, leaning against the giant mushroom.  
Ray stands up and shield shis eyes from the sun as he looks in the distance, seeing a couple trucks and a helicopter.  
"It's... it's... It's the reinforcements!" He shouts, jumping up and down as they approach.

Remington pulls his truck up close to the entrance, and a few troops step out from the back. Mighty and Remington step out from the front of the vehicle.  
"Thanks for showing up, guys. Good job, Mighty." Knuckles says as Remington helps him up.  
"Knuckles, you're not looking too good..." Remington tells his cousin.  
"Yeah, I know. I was poisoned by Metal Sonic when he used the Master Emerald as his personal battery recharger..." He explains.  
"Are you going to die? Do you need an ambulance?" The constable asks the Guardian.  
"No. I'll be fine. Just weakened for a while. It'll take more than a cocky robot to kill me." He chuckles.

Elias paddles his raft carefully through the water as it starts to get warmer, from all the geothermic activity. Soon, the water starts to boil and bubble.  
"Great. I must be close to the Devil's Gulag... I just hope that this dingy holds up." He thinks to himself as he approaches the shore of the rocky, mountainous island.  
The squirrel male hops out of his dingy and pulls it ashore. He quickly deflates the rubber boat, and packs it back up into his backpack. He then sets off looking along the island's shore for any way up. After checking the whole island, he realizes that he may have to climb up the tall cliffs to the prison at the top, unless he wants to deal with the guards standing at the staircase. The squirrel summons up his courage and approaches the guards.  
"I am Prince Elias Acorn, and I would like access to this prison." He speaks to the two large bear guards.  
"Can you prove you're the prince?" One of the guards asks.  
"I think I can." Elias says, showing the guards his royal tattoo. The emblem proves without any possible doubt that he is who he claims to be.  
"Right this way, sire. What brings you to the Devil's Gulag Prison anyway?" The soldier asks him.  
"One of my friends has been wrongfully imprisoned in here, and I intend to release him with a royal pardon." He explains.  
"Ehhh... Does the King know you're doing this? Does he even know you've returned?" The guard asks.  
"No, but I plan on meeting father next." Elias explains as he climbs the stairwell with the guard.  
He soon enters the prison's main building, and walks along the hallway. When he sees Geoffrey curled up in a corner, looking beaten-up, he approaches the bars. Kodos is challenging Geoffrey to get back up and take his punishment like a man.  
"Kodos, stand down. I'm here for Geoffrey." He tells the larger lion.  
"Oooh, and who are you?" He queries.  
"I'm Prince Elias. Geoffrey, stand. You've been pardoned." He tells his friend as the door opens.  
Elias helps his friend up, and they walk out of the cell.  
"Should I notify King Max of your return, sire?" The guard asks Prince Elias.  
"Yes. I've been away from home for far too long, and I need to do my royal duty in helping rebuild the kingdom." He explains.  
The guard contacts King Max in Knothole.  
"Sire, We've located Prince Elias. He's alive." The guard tells the king.  
"Y-You have? That's great news! Where is he?" He asks the guard for his long-lost son.  
"He's here at the Devil's Gulag Prison, but he was living on Angel Island the whole time." The guard explains.  
"That's great news. I'll send for him at once." King Max replies.  
"Tell him I'd like to bring Geoffrey with me. I forgive him for what he's done. He wasn't trying to be malicious in intent, he was just in despair." Elias says.  
The guard tells King Max that Elias wants Geoffrey pardoned and to join him in returning to the Kingdom. King Max ponders this for a second.  
"Very well. Geoffrey is pardoned, but he'll return there if he does this again. I'm sending a plane for you two right now." He tells them.  
The older squirrel stands up and walks towards the door. He opens the door and walks into the meadow.  
"Oh, Dulcy. Have you seen Tails?" He asks the dragon.  
"Sure, sire. He's in the hut with Snively, Rotor and Sonic. Sally's there, too." She tells him.  
"Thank you." He replies, walking towards Snively's hut. He opens the door.  
"Tails, I need you to go on a special mission for me." He says as he steps through the doorway.  
The twin-tailed fox turns to face King Max.  
"What's the mission?" He asks.  
"I need you to fly to the Devil's Gulag to pick up two furs there, and bring them back here." He tells the fox.  
"Anything else you need?" Tails asks.  
"That's everything, Tails." King Max replies.  
"Alrighty, I'm off, then! I'll be back soon." The fox says as he runs off towards the Winged Victory.  
He hops into the plane, turns it on and steers it towards a clearing in the trees. He takes off into the sky. As he flies out over the ocean, he wonders what he should be looking for. Soon, his radio crackles with the voice of one of the guards from the Devil's Gulag Prison.  
"You have enterd Devil's Gulag Prison airspace. Identify yourself." The voice says.  
Tails picks up the radio.  
"This is Tails Prower, flying the Winged Victory on behalf of King Maximillian Acorn." The fox speaks into the microphone as he flies.  
"Very well. What type of plane are you flying in? We hope we can accommodate you to land." The guard says.  
"Just a 21-foot long biplane. I'm coming in from the east, though." Tails says.  
"Alright. Slow down to 124 kilometers per hour, and prepare for northbound orientation. Our runway's only 400 feet long. I hope you can make it. We usually accomodate Royal Helicopters..." The guard explains.  
"That's gonna be tight, but I can make it." Tails says as he turns his plane towards the north, aligning with the mountainous island's prison and runway. Tails steadies the brakes, slowing the plane down. He lowers the landing gear, applying all the brakes to full as soon as the rubber wheels touch the concrete pavement. He comes to a complete stop near the opposite edge of the runway. Tails turns the engine off and hops out of the plane, being greeted by a couple of the guards of the prison.  
"Right this way, mister prower." The bear guard instructs Tails, leading him into the prison.  
Tails enters the prison's main processing room, seeing Geoffrey and Elias, who looks very much like his father.  
"You must be Prince Elias. I'm Miles Prower, but you can call me Tails." The fox says as he shakes the prince's hand.  
"You know Geoffrey, I bet." Elias tells Tails as they walk towads the plane.  
"Yeah, I do." Tails replies. He helps Elias into the plane.  
"Now wait. This thing's only a two-seater." Geoffrey says.  
"This thing's strong enough to hold people that stand on the wings. They hold on to the stabilizers." Tails says. "That's how we can fit all the Freedom Fighters onto this thing."  
"Alright." Geoffrey says as he climbs onto the wing of the biplane. He holds on as Tails takes off, bringing the two furs back to Knothole Village.

The sun is setting on Angel Island, and the Echidna Security Team troops are in place, hidden amongst the giant mushrooms and plants that surround the Master Emerald chamber. Mighty and Ray are standing with Knuckles near the entrance.  
"Do you think these guys will be enough to protect the Master Emerald until you recover?" Ray asks.  
"Yeah, but I also have to warn Sonic that Metal Sonic is after him." Knuckles replies.  
"How will you get there? Won't a message work?" Remington asks.  
"Yeah, a message would work, but they need my muscle to help contain him. Besides, Rotor and Sally might be able to find an antidote to the poison Metal Sonic gave me, so my powers can be returned to me quickly." Knuckles explains to his friends.  
"Muscle? But you're injured and ill..." Ray says.  
"I know, but that doesn't matter. I gotta help Sonic. His life is in danger." Knuckles replies.  
"Well, do you want us to go with ya as backup?" Mighty offers.  
Knuckles waves his paw side-to-side, declining.  
"Thanks, but I can handle this on my own." Knuckles tells them.  
Remington walks up to the Guardian.  
"How will you get to Mobotropolis?" He asks.  
"I was thinking on teleporting, but I don't have a chaos emerald on me to do that." Knuckles says.  
"That's alright. I brought one with me. The EST has kept a chaos emerald of their own under extreme security and constant surveillance. We know that King Maximillian Acorn has one as well, but the rest are lost to history at the moment." Remington explains.  
"I see. How'd you get it, though?" Knuckles asks as Remington hands Knuckles the silver emerald.  
"I found it while walking in the Marble Garden Zone. It's best if these remain scattered around the world, so no one can unleash their total power for evil." Remington explains.  
Mighty steps forward.  
"Why Mobotropolis? How do you know that the Freedom Fighters will be there?" The armadillo asks the echidna guardian.  
"The furs have begun rebuilding their city. It's the logical first place for me to look for the Freedom Fighters." He replies.  
Knuckles nods his head. He then concentrates on where he wants to go, holding the emerald tighlty in his closed fist. He can see the towers of Mobotropolis in his mind, as a portal opens up in front of him.  
"Wish me luck, guys. I'll be back soon." The echidna speaks as he walks through the portal, disappearing.  
He reappears a few seconds later, in Mobotropolis. The echidna looks up at the tall buildings, trying to get his bearings.  
"Okay. If that's Robotnik's former headquarters, and that's his former generator plant... then the government's offices should be just over there..." he says to himself, walking down the generally deserted avenue.

Metal Sonic is flying quickly just a few feet over the ocean, causing waves to flow out below and away from him. He jumps as he reaches shore, not wanting to dodge trees and shrubs closely at a high speed. The forests quickly give way to the desert, and the robot returns to ground level, searching for Sonic the Hedgehog.  
"No traces of Sonic's energy field found. Will continue search. Switching to infrared vision..." Metal Sonic says to himself as he searches the desert for the blue hedgehog.

Knuckles walks along the street, seeing a blue hedgehog. He runs towards the blue hedgehog, but stops.  
"Wait, you're not Sonic..." He says.  
"No... I'm his uncle, Charles the Hedgehog." the metal hedgehog replies to him.  
"Listen. Sonic's in extreme danger. Metal Sonic is after him." Knuckles tells the older robian.  
"Metal Sonic? You mean Snively actually RELEASED it??? I'll warn Sonny-boy right away. Come on!" Uncle Chuck says as he runs, with Knuckles trailing closely behind.  
Uncle Chuck knows that only Snively has the access codes for Metal Sonic. Knuckles and Uncle Chuck enter the robian hedgehog's workshop. Uncle Chuck clears off his desk and turns on the shortwave communicator he has with Knothole Village.  
"Knothole Village, this is Uncle Chuck. Pick up, please! It's an emergency!" He talks into the microphone.  
Rotor and Sonic hear Uncle Chuck's voice on their end of the communicator system. Rotor hands Sonic the microphone.  
"Sonic here. What's going on?" The blue blur asks. He knows something's up.  
"Sonic, you're in danger. A robotic duplicate of you is on the loose. It's been programmed to hunt you down and kill you. Snively released it!" Uncle Chuck warns his nephew.  
Sonic raises an eyebrow. He's skeptical.  
"That's impossible. Snively's right here working with us." He replies.  
"Sonic, he must have released it while he was under Ixis' command. You're in danger. Knuckles is almost there to help ya. He's gonna back you up and destroy that robotic hedgehog." Uncle Chuck says.  
"Thanks, but we have everything under control. Rotor and Snively are almost done building a defense robot to handle it." Sonic speaks.  
Knuckles is getting annoyed and speaks into the microphone.  
"Sonic, don't be a stupid pincushion. That robot nearly killed me and Mighty. It's going to do a lot worse to you." The echidna tells his friend.  
Sonic considers this.  
"Alright. I suppose we could use your help again..." He says, scratching his ear with his finger.  
Knuckles nods.  
"I'm on my way. I'll be there in a second." The echidna tells Sonic, teleporting to the meadow.


	12. Chapter 12

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 17-18, 3241 - Late Spring  
- - - - - -

Chapter 11 - Metallic Madness

Knuckles walks through the meadow, towards the huts. He sees Sonic and Rotor walking out of Rotor's workshop, towards the hut Snively is working in.

"Well, THAT was quick!" Sonic says as he greets Knuckles.  
"Yeah, I know. Guardians have the ability to teleport." Knuckles replies.

He walks into the hut where Rotor and snively are working on the robotic hedgehog.

"Just needs a few more minor adjustments..." Rotor says as he finishes attatching the wires to its main system board.

Snively attatches a cable to the robot that leads to his computer.

"All we need is something to jump-start it now." Rotor says.  
"I was intending on using that chaos emerald simulator gun... the "Chaos Device".. to turn it on." Snively explains.  
"Where is it?" Rotor asks.  
"That stupid skunk lost it in the forest. It could take forever to find it..." Snively tells them.  
"Nah. I'll find it in no-time flat." Sonic says, running out the door in a breeze. He returns just seconds later, with the large chaos device in his hands.  
"Is this it?" Sonic asks.

Snively blinks, surprised Sonic found it so quickly.

"Uhm... yes, it is." Snively replies. He aims the gun at the robot, locking it in place, then turns back to his computer.  
"Ready to upload your programming, Rotor." The fox says, checking things once more.  
"Ready here, too. Let's get 'im goin'." Rotor says as he closes the hatch on the robot's chest, pulling the trigger on the chaos device, shooting enough energy to turn the robot on.

Snively presses the [ENTER] key on the keyboard, starting the upload of data. The small fox and walrus watch on one of the monitor screens as the progress bar showing the data upload crawls across the screen, with the number increasing towards 100% fairly quickly.

"What's going on now?" Knuckles asks.  
"The robot's recieving its instructions. Once that's complete, we'll be able to use it to protect us." Rotor explains.  
"I see." He replies.

The robot finishes recieving its information in a few seconds, then stands on its own.

"I am Silver Sonic. My duty is to protect Knothole Village and Mobotropolis from any harm. I await my commands." The robot speaks.  
"Excellent. Now, your first command is to be Sonic the Hedgehog's bodyguard. A metallic robot duplicate is on the loose, trying to kill him." Snively tells it.  
"I shall protect Sonic." The robot replies.

Sonic looks a bit skeptical.

"Guys, I appreciate the effort, but do I really need a bodyguard? Can this robot even protect me?" Sonic asks.  
"Sure it can, Sonic. Let's test it out." Rotor says.

Sonic watches as the walrus picks up a wooden board and runs towards Sonic with it. The robotic hedgehog quickly spin-jumps into place between Sonic and Rotor, blocking him. It quickly grabs the wooden board and snaps it in half, tossing it to the ground, all within a couple seconds.

"Damn, Rote..." Sonic whispers to himself.  
"Any other questions about this robot, Sonic?" Rotor asks, having proved the robot's agility and loyalty.  
"Nope." Sonic replies.

Rotor then turns to Knuckles.

"You don't lok so good, Knuckles. Are ya comin' down with something?" He tells him.  
"I think so. I probably look as bad as I feel..." He says, trying to stand up.

The echidna blacks out and falls onto the floor.

"Knux!" Sonic yelps as he runs over.

He feels Knuckles' forehead, feeling he has a fever, and he's sweating a bit. His pulse is rapid and weak.  
"We gotta get him to the first-aid hut." Sonic says, trying to pick up his friend.

Rotor carefully picks Knuckles up by his feet, with Sonic carrying Knuckles by his arms. The two freedom fighters bring Knuckles into the first-aid hut. Rotor immediately lifts Knuckles onto a stretcher and squeezes a cool, moist sponge onto his his forehead to cool him down.

"What's wrong with him, Rote?" Sonic asks.  
"I don't know, Sonic. He said he was injured in an encounter with Metal Sonic. Maybe something happened to him during the fight." He explains.  
"Don't you have any computers that can analyze him and figure out what's wrong?" Sonic asks.  
"No, I don't. I'm more of a computer scientist, mechanic, and handyman, not a doctor. The king's secret service has been able to restore the Hospital in Mobotropolis. They have much more advanced medical equipment than I have here." Rotor replies.  
"I find that hard to believe, Rote." Sonic says, tapping his foot.  
"They salvaged the technology that Robotnik used to torture and experiment on people with. Instead of using his devices and machines to harm and kill people, we as a people are using the medical technology to save them." Rotor explains.

The hedgehog listens carefully to Rotor's words, monitoring his friend's condition from the heartrate monitor and blood-pressure measurement device attatched to him.  
"Will he make it to Mobotropolis in this condition?" Sonic asks him.  
"Yeah. It's best if he goes to Mobo anyway, since there's not much I'm able to do for him here."  
"Good. I'll get 'im there in ten seconds, flat." Sonic says, very enthusiastically as he starts to lift Knuckles up.

"Sonic, it's too dangerous for you." Rotor says.  
"Forget that. I'm not gonna let my friend die here." Sonic says, picking up the unconscious echidna.

The blue hedgehog walks out the door and runs for the Great Oak Slide. He keeps looking around every few seconds, just in case Metal Sonic shows up. He runs quickly through the forest, dodging the trees before entering the Great Desert. The hedgehog makes a bee-line right for Mobotropolis, hoping he can make it there in time to save Knuckles.

The low droning of an airplane propeller can be heard over the Great Forest, as Tails flies Prince Elias and the pardoned Geoffrey St. John back to Knothole. He checks up on Elias, who is holding onto the vertical stabilizers.

"How are you holding up, Geoffrey? Prince Elias?" He asks.

"Just call me Elias, Tails, and I'm doing okay." He says.  
"I'm doin' alright." Geoffrey replies as the wind whips past his furred body.  
The regal squirrel holds tightly onto the metal bar as Tails pulls up on the controls, slowing the Winged Victory. He steers it steadily, coming in for a landing in the meadow. As soon as his wheels make contact with the dirt runway, he puts on the air and wheel brakes, coming to a complete stop within seconds.

"Alright, everybody! Welcome to Knothole Village!" Tails says as he takes off his flying helmet and goggles.  
The fox hops out of the plane, soon joined by Geoffrey and Elias. The squirrel has never been to Knothole Village, though he has heard of it.

"What is this place?" Elias asks as he looks around.  
"This is Knothole Village. It's our home sweet home, nestled deep within the forest." Tails tells him, as they walk towards Freedom Headquarters.

"I think we should meet the King." Tails tells the prince as he opens the door.

Elias is a bit nervous.  
"What's wrong, Elias?" Geoffrey asks his friend.

"Well, I'm nervous becuase it's so weird meeting my dad again after all these years... I barely remember him beucase I last saw him when I was seven years old." The squirrel prince tells him.

"Understandable." Geoffrey says as they walk into the building.

"Sire, I've returned, and I have two furs that would love to meet you." He speaks.  
King Max looks up from the books he's reading. "Send them in, please."

Tails first guides Elias into the room.  
"Sire, father, it's me, Elias. I'm your son." The younger squirrel tells the older ruler.  
"I've been met with impostors in the past. What is the family credo?" He asks, leaning forward so Elias can whisper it into his ear.

"To rule with honour." He whispers into his father's ear.  
The king is greatly surprised from the answer. He hugs Elias tightly, breaking down in tears. "I missed you greatly. I thought you were killed all those years ago!"  
Elias hugs King Max tightly. "I missed you too, father."

The king sobs quietly with joy as he hugs his son tightly. "For the longest time, I grieved your death, and i'm overjoyed that you're here again. This is the greatest day of my life! I lost you, but I have you back again."

"I was told that Knothole Village was destroyed in the war." Elias says to his father.

"It may as well have been. The war was the worst thing to ever hit the kingdom." Max replies as he sits down again, pulling a chair out for Elias.

"Tell me, what were you doing all these years? Why did you not try to look for me, or the other Freedom Fighters?" Max asks his son.

"It's a long story, allow me to explain." Elias tells his father.

"After the crash-landing on Angel Island, the guardian Locke rescued me, but was shot to death by the overlanders, in front of me, and his son, Knuckles. Knuckles and I then started living together, and banded up with his group, the Chaotix. I happened to meet up with Geoffrey St. John, a member of your Secret Service a few years after Doctor Robotnik had taken over. He was searching for answers to his father's death years before. Since the other Freedom Fighter groups thought they could take Robotnik down without any military assistance, he became alienated, so Knuckles and I invited him to stay with us, and we explored Angel Island until we heard that Mobotropolis was being repopulated. I stayed on the island becuase I thought you were killed and the humans had taken over." Elias explains.

King Max listens patiently. "Why did you not try to contact the kingdom?"

"Father, the echidnas had basically locked down the Island and Albion from all outside contact, from fear of war. I had no way of contacting the Kingdom without further risking the echidnas' safety. Just evacuating us to the embassy nearly dragged them into war." Elias tells him.

"I see." The king replies, contemplating what his son has told him.

"Father, you look deep in thought... like something large is on your mind. What is it?" Elias asks.

The king sighs and bites the bullet.

"I don't quite know how to explain this... Elias, there is something very important that you need to know. You have a sister, named Sally. She's twenty-four, and going steady with Sonic. She's the leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, and until you returned, she was first in line to the throne." King Max explains.

"Father, I want to know everything about who I am. However, I don't have any real desires to rule as King..." He says a bit quietly.

"I should have expected that. Elias, you are the prince of the Kingdom of Knothole. Your mother was Queen Alicia Acorn. Commander Ian St. John was the royal bodyguard and leader of the Royal Secret Service, and your mentor. I was hoping to one day have a son to take my place as King of Mobius, but for a long time, i feared that would not happen. Sally would do very nicely as Queen, from her experiences battling Robotnik, and encountering the people of the kingdom on a daily basis. I can introduce you to Sally since she's here in Knothole Village." Max speaks to his son.

"I would like to meet my sister, and the rest of the Knothole Freedom Fighters." Elias answers.

"Of course." Max replies.

"There is one issue, though..." Elias says, very shyly.

King Max raises an eyebrow.

"Geoffrey tried to overthrow Sonic as the leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, but was imprisoned, and I had pardoned him at the Devil's Gulag." Elias explains.

"I see. I'll have to speak with the two of you later on about this situation." King Max tells his son. "But for now, you don't need to concern yourself about this. You need to get adjusted back to living in peacetime, instead of war. Go meet your new friends. I must return to Mobotropolis to oversee the reconstruction."

"I shall, father. Thank you." Elias says as he stands back up, walking out of the door.

"Want me to show ya around, Elias?" Tails asks.  
"I'd like that. I'd love to meet everyone here." Elias replies as he walks with Tails into the meadow.

"I'll get 'em all together." Tails says as he flies up, over to the huts. He knocks on their doors, and gathers the Freedom Fighters together.

"Freedom Fighters, this is Prince Elias Acorn. Elias, this is the Knothole Freedom Fighter group. That's Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D'Coolette, Rotor, and Princess Sally Acorn." Tails says.

"It's nice to meet y'all, sugah." Bunnie says, shaking his hand.

"It's nice to meet ya." Rotor says, somewhat shyly.

"It iz very nice to meet you, sire." Antoine says.

"It's nice to meet you, Elias. I take it you're my brother?" Sally asks.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sally. Yes, I am your brother, and I never knew I had a younger sister until today." Elias answers.

"I never knew I had an older brother, either." Sally replies.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of becoming King. Father and the two of us can settle that out later if you wish." Elias speaks.

"That's fine with me." Sally tells her brother.

"You guys seem very nice, and I can tell I'm going to like living here." Elias says politely.

"Thanks. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like, Elias. You can even bunk with me if you need a place to stay." Rotor says.

"I appreciate that, but I tend to stick with Geoffrey. I'm a pretty highly-skilled woodsman, and I can build myself a hut if I have the permission." He swishes his tail nervously.

"Of course you do, Elias. I'll show you which trees we have set aside for harvesting." Sally explains to him.

"And sugah, just you wait 'til you meet Sonic. Oh, you two would have a LOT in common to talk about, bein' the adventure-lovin' types." Bunnie says.

Sally looks around curiously. "Speaking of Sonic... where is he?"

"He said he was... oh no. He ran out the door of my hut with Knuckles, running towards Mobotropolis before I could prorgam Silver Sonic to protect him!" Rotor replies.

"He'll be in trouble. He and Knuckles could be killed by Metal Sonic if they're found." Sally tells Rotor.

Everyone gasps in fear of their friends.

"I'll tell Silver to get SS ready and to track down True Blue!" Rotor says as he turns around, running back towards his hut to deliver the news.

Metal Sonic stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the desert. His infrared sensors are picking up something. He zooms in on the source, where he finds a blue hedgehog carrying his echidna friend, running extremely quicklly across the desert floor.

"Target Acquired." Metal Sonic speaks to himself in a metallic tone, flying right towards Sonic.

The blue hedgehog is looking around as he runs. He's very afraid becuase he feels something bad's about to happen. Sonic listens quietly, hearing the humming of an engine. He stops to try to pinpoint the source of the sound, when Metal Sonic gently lowers himself to the ground in front of him.

"Greetings, Sonic. I'm Metal Sonic, your robotic superior, and I'm here to kill you."  
"You wish, you robotic wannabe!" Sonic shouts.  
"I'll be fair, though. Place Knuckles down, and I won't hurt him any more than he already is." The robot speaks calmly.

Sonic's heartbeat starts to increase from fear as he places Knuckles on the ground. "Don't worry, buddy. You'll be alright, right after i recycle this overgrown can-opener."

Metal Sonic shoots a couple lasers at the blue hedgehog, grazing his arm with one shot.

"Yeowch!" Sonic says, jumping back.

Metal simply dives and flies low towards Sonic, plowing into the blue-furred hedgehog, knocking the wind out of him.

Sonic groans and tries to get up, when he feels the robotic claws of Metal Sonic grasping his ankle.  
A crunching *SNAP* is heard, and Sonic screams in pain, as his ankle is twisted and broken. He shivers from the pain, sweating a bit as his heart races.  
"Oh god... oh god... h-hurts so much..." He whimpers.

"I can't have you racing off on me, now, can I?" Metal asks him.

Sonic whimpers, trying to keep his eyes from tearing-up from the pulsing pain in his ankle.

"Answer me, dead-hog." Metal tells him.  
"N-no..." Sonic whispers as he tries to crawl backwards, away from Metal, who keeps stepping towards him.

"What do you want from me?" Sonic asks him.  
"I want you to die. To suffer and feel as much pain as you physically can bear in the name of my creator, Doctor Ivo Robotnik." Metal speaks to him.

Sonic tries to stand up, and is uneasy on just one foot.

"If you want to stand, you better be able to stand on your own two FEET!" Metal tells Sonic, stomping down on his injured foot, pushing it to the ground with his own, causing Sonic's body weight to be distributed onto his injured ankle. Metal smirks evilly as he listens to Sonic's agonized screams. He then lets go of Sonic's foot.

"Run, little boy blue. I'll give you 10 seconds, then I'm coming for you." Metal grins, stepping back.  
Sonic limps, trying to run from Metal, but he can't go fast, or far with a busted leg.

"Great. I'm gonna die out here from that maniac machine." Sonic says to himself.  
"Ten... nine... eight... seven..." Metal counts down, watching as Sonic desparately tries to limp away.  
"I g-gotta make a stand... is there anything I can use as a weapon? Any rocks or sticks? No..." He talks to himself.  
"Six... five.... four..."  
Sonic then stops limping and turns around.  
"Three... two... one..."  
"I'm not running. It's time you're decommissioned, Metal!" Sonic yells.  
"Zero. Your funeral, Sonic." Metal says as he powers up his engine.  
He blasts towards the blue hedgehog, punching and slashing at him. He laughs when he hears the cartilage behind Sonic's nose breaking, watching the blood streaming from his nose. He then picks Sonic up, flying upwards.

"Let's see how fast you can run on one leg, furball." Metal growls, dropping sonic onto the ground.  
"Gotta think fast, hedgehog, or you're dead." Sonic thinks to himself as he falls. He tucks himself into a ball, and rolls along the desert floor, before jumping and landing on one foot.

"The pain's starting to subside, but I still can't use my other foot..." Sonic says to himself.  
"That was very impressive, Sonic." Metal tells him as he hovers above.

"Eventually, you're just gonna run outta fuel and then you're mine!" Sonic says, slamming his fist down into his palm.  
"Silly hedgehog. That's just a pipe dream. I don't need refuelling, and I can run on more than just oil." He chuckles.  
Sonic remains silent, wondering what the robot's babbling about.  
"Hedgehog blood works just fine in my engine, as well." He speaks, sharpening his claws again, diving to slash Sonic to blue-quilled ribbons.

Sonic shields himself when he sees something... someone dive into the way and push Metal Sonic into the ground. The hedgehog blinks and watches.

"Sonic! How badly injured are you?" Silver shouts as she runs towards him.  
"Silver? Thank Mobius!" Sonic sighs in relief, still limping.  
The robotic fox sits Sonic down and starts to tend to his injuries.  
"W-Who tackled Metal?" Sonic asks as Silver zeroes in on his severed bones, and starts re-attatching them together.  
"That's Silver Sonic. Rotor sent us out after you because you left too quickly for Silver Sonic to guard ya." She speaks to him.  
Sonic winces as Silver patches him up. "Where'd you learn to do surgery like this?"  
She looks up at him. "I used to be a doctor before Robotnik took over. There. All finished, it'll be tender for a few weeks, so try to stay off that foot until it's healed."  
"Thanks, but how will I get around without running?" He asks.  
"Tails has a plane, and besides, with the kingdom being rebuilt, you could ride in a car again." She replies, picking Knuckles up.

Metal Sonic is struggling in the grip of Silver Sonic, who is holding him firmly by the throat in his steel-plated hands. The robot sends a shock to Metal, short-circuiting him. "Enemy robot has been disabled."

"We gotta get Knuckles to Mobo immediately. He's dying." Sonic says.  
"Don't worry. We'll get both of ya there." Silver replies as she carries the two furs, running towards Mobotropolis.

"What will we do with Metal Sonic?" Sonic asks.  
"We'll decommission him, and put him in cryogenic storage. I suppose we could give Silver Sonic to Knuckles, to help him defend his Master Emerald." Silver replies.  
"Sounds fair." Sonic replies.

He winces in pain with each step as he leans on Silver for support, helping her carry Knuckles towards Mobotropolis.  
"Hang on, Knuxie. We'll make it there in time for ya." Sonic says.


	13. Chapter 13

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: May 18-June 4, 3241 - Late Spring  
- - - - - -

Chapter 12 - Fallout

"I'm going to be honest, Sonic. Knuckles will be alright, but it will be a while before he's back to his old self. You should take it easy and not do too much running for the next month or so, either." The middle-aged raccoon doctor tells Sonic and Tails as they sit in the waiting room.

The doors burst open and Sonic turns his head, seeing Sally, Tails, and Rotor running into the Waiting Room.  
"Sonic! Oh my god, are you alright? How badly were you hurt? Is Knuckles dead?" Sally asks, hugging Sonic tightly.  
"Oof! Sal...can't breathe..." He whimpers as his girlfriend squeeze-hugs him tightly.

Sally blushes and lets go of him.  
"Just a busted ankle that'll heal up in a couple days, thanks to Silver, and a busted nose that'll heal in a week or two. It takes more than a cocky robot to kill me. Knuckles is gonna be alright." He replies.  
"What infected Knuckles, Doctor Draftwood?" Tails asks.

The doctor looks at the chart of Knuckles' medical condition on the little electronic tablet he's carrying.  
"He was infected with nanites... microscopic robots... that absorbed massive amounts of hemoglobin in his blood, weakening him and causing him to feel out of energy. They apparently were able to radiate his energy back to Metal Sonic, fuelling him. He'd be dead if he arrived twenty minutes later, though. Sonic, Silver... you two saved him." Dr. Bookshire answers.

"That's good news." Sally speaks, holding Sonic's hand.  
"Speakin' of 'bots... where are Silver Sonic and Metal?" Sonic asks.  
"I was thinking on putting Metal in cryogenic storage for a few years, until we can figure out something more permanent. As for Silver Sonic... He should go to Knuckles, to help defend against the Master Emerald." The robotic fox replies.  
"He'll like that." Sonic says as he walks towards Knuckles' room door, limping from the bandages on his leg and foot.

The hedgehog curiously looks through, peering into the room, to see how his friend is doing. The red-furred echidna is hooked up to IV-systems, and a heartrate-monitoring machine.

Sonic carefully and quietly opens the door. He steps into the sterilized environment and stands at Knuckles' bedside, holding his friend's hand.  
"Knuckles, are you going to be alright?" Sonic asks softly.  
"Sonic, he's still in a coma. He's unconscious and he can't hear ya." The doctor says to the hedgehog.  
"I thought you said he was going to get better..." Sonic answers.  
"He is getting better. He's just in a medicine-induced coma because the pain would be too much to tolerate."  
"I see." Sonic looks down at Knuckles, feeling very sorry for him.  
"If It weren't for me, you would have never been hurt. It's all because Metal Sonic wanted to hurt me, by getting to you... I'm sorry." Sonic says.

Knuckles' eyelids start to open as he awakens.  
"It's not your fault, Sonic. We guardians have to take that type of trouble and face it, even if we die from it." Knuckles tells him.  
"How do you feel, Knuckles?" Sally asks him, standing at the foot of his bed.  
"I feel in pain, but great otherwise." He says as he sits up, noticing he's in hospital clothes.  
"Where am I, though? The Floating Island?" He asks.  
"You're at the Mobotropolis Downtown Hospital. Sonic and Silver brought you here." The doctor replies.  
"So, I guess I owe you for saving my life, huh, blue blur? When do I start my servitude?" Knuckles smirks, joking.  
"Ahh... I'm not the butler-having type, though you'd make a great bodyguard." Sonic says, patting Knuckles' shoulder.  
"I'll be up and outta here in a few days, then we can get back to savin' the world from badguys again." Knuckles replies.  
"We should get going, though. You need to rest up and recover." Tails says, shaking Knuckles' hand as the others depart.  
"Silver, Sonic..." Knuckles speaks.  
"Yes?" The two furs ask in return.  
"Thanks for savin' me. I don't normally ask for help or admit weakness, but thanks." Knuckles tells them.  
"No problem." Silver and Sonic reply to their friend.

"I should get going. I'm headed back home." Silver speaks to Sonic as she walks with him.  
"What's the hurry? Why not stay with us in Knothole Village?" Sonic offers.  
"That's a nice offer Sonic. I'll accept." She replies.  
"What about your home, though?" Sonic asks.  
"I... don't really have a home. I just wander around." Silver speaks.  
"Well, that ends today if you want it to. You can stay with us." Sonic smiles.

As Sonic approaches the courtyard of the royal palace, he sees Elias and Geoffrey.  
"Hey Sal... Who's this guy? You're long lost brother?" He jokes at Elias, laughing.  
The squirrels are not amused. Sally gives sonic a stern look, while Elias is simply a bit confused over what Sonic meant.  
"Oh. Sorry." Sonic replies.  
"Sonic, this is my brother, Prince Elias. Elias, this is my best friend, Sonic." Sally says, introducing them to each other.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sonic." Elias says as he shakes Sonic's hand.

At first, Sonic is a bit suspicious if Elias is truly a prince, but realizes it when he sees the Royal tattoo on his forearm. He then notices Geoffrey there, as well.  
"What's the odor-eater doing back here?" Sonic says, getting into a defensive stance.

Geoffrey does the same. "I don't want any trouble, hedgehog, but I will defend myself if I need to."  
"Boys, boys. Settle down. No one's going to attack anyone. My father's going to have this settled out once and for all at noon. We will have my father deliver his verdict in his courtroom, in a calm and civilized manner. Until then, there will be no fighting, no attacking, and no name-calling, do you both understand?" Sally explains to the two males.  
"Yes, Princess." They both say in response.

Sonic then sits on a bench, where Geoffrey is already sitting.  
"So... did you and Elias build that new hut this morning? I overheard you and Elias talkin' about somethin' like it earlier..." Sonic asks, trying to break the tense atmosphere with his rival with some small talk.  
"Yep. Took all of this morning. Started at 4 AM." Geoffrey replies.  
"Looks pretty strong." Sonic says as he looks at it.  
"It should be. Elias is an expert woodsman." Geoffrey says.  
"Time go go, boys. Your trial with my father begins now." Sally tells them.

King Max steps out into the large, elegantly-crafted courtroom, towards where Sonic and Geoffrey are sitting. He sits down on the royal chair, acting as the judge in this case.  
"Sonic, Sir Geoffrey, it's time we settle the dispute between you two." King Max tells them.

The two furs stand up and follow the king, while Sally tells the remaining freedom fighters to enter the Royal Courtroom. Soon, everyone is sitting down in the planning room.  
"So exactly what transpired between you two?" Max asks.

Sonic and Geoffrey start to speak, before Sally cuts them off.  
"Geoffrey, why don't you tell us first?" She asks the older skunk.  
"Way un-cool, Sal. Are you siding with HIM?" Sonic asks, very impatient.  
"I'm not siding with him, I just thought it would be wiser to let him get his part through first." She explains.  
"Ohhh. Okay." Sonic says.  
"The reason I had attacked Sonic was from my frustration with how things were going between him and the other freedom fighters. I thought that the Military was in charge of the Kingdom of Mobius' defense, not rebelling groups of children." He explains.  
"We took down 'buttnik, though!" Sonic exclaims.

"Sonic, please don't interrupt. Your turn is next." King Max tells the blue-quilled hedgehog. "Continue, Geoffrey."

"At first, when Robotnik took over, I began looking for whatever remaining troops were left alive. I was hoping on re-forming the military and launching a counter-offensive to knock the overlander from power. Though, in hindsight, and i mean no disrespect sire, it was completely foolhardy to place an overlander in such a prominent position of government to begin with!" THe skunk tells the freedom fighters.

The room falls silent for a couple seconds.  
"Geoffrey, this is not an inquiry into Robotnik's takeover, though one is going to be held, I can assure you of that." King Max explains.  
"Well, when I realized I was the last soldier remaining of the armed forces, I tried to band the remaining freedom fighter groups together, searching out the freedom fighters on your list that you gave me and Sally. The southern Freedom Fighters gave me a very cold reception, and said I was "too old" to get things done, while the Eastern Freedom Fighters questioned my capabilities as a soldier. The Wolfpack were marginally more accepting, but said they would only act from messages given from Princess Sally, not a soldier, becuase of their strict allegience to the Crown. They also said they were suspicious of me actually being a soldier. That angered me, so I vowed to become a rogue soldier and take down Robotnik myself. Then, I kept hearing of Sonic and his escapades with sabotaging Robotnik and his schemes to destory the Great Forest." Geoffrey tells the freedom fighters.

"I have a question for Pepe Le Pew." Sonic tells Sally.

"I heard that, but ask, Sonic." Geoffrey says, annoyed of the little nickname Sonic gave him.

"Why not just join up with us after you heard about us?" Sonic asks him.  
"I was burned by the other groups, so I had eventually gave up on trying to fit in, and I travelled across the globe searching for anything whatsoever that could lead to the secret to Robotnik's downfall. My travels brought me to Angel Island a few months before Doomsday happened, and that's where I met up with Elias. At first, the guardian of the island wanted to throw me off it, and I meant that literally. Knuckles doesn't like outsiders. After I told him I was loyal to the King, he let me stay there for a while. Eventually, I had plotted the perfect take-down plan for Robotnik, and Elias had wanted to come with me, to liberate you from the Void. You could not believe how angry AND glad I was to hear that you had destroyed Robotnik's empire, Sonic." Geoffrey speaks.

Sonic listens closely.  
"I was glad that Robotnik was finally out of the picture, so we could rescue the King from the Void, and rebuild the kingdom. On the other hand, I was mad as hell becuase 10 years of my life were wasted trying to take down that man. All my planning and travelling was for nothing. Yes, i had found the King's son, but I had not found the King, and I was unsure the Knothole Freedom Fighters would even want to deal with me. I suppose I had snapped when I heard that Sonic had defeated Robotnik, so I wanted revenge on him, by siding with Ixis Naugus. Sending Ixis back into the Void was definitely something I had not expected, so I wanted to punish Sonic for ruining my planning over the years. That is why I stole Snively's chaos device and attacked Sonic." Geoffrey finishes.

"Sonic, do you have anything to say about this?" King Max asks.  
"Yeah, I have a question. Why are you so angry at us from what others did? Displaced anger ain't right..." Sonic speaks.  
"I know. I just have an intense hatred towards those that betray me... and overlanders, for killing my father. I thought for a while, that anyone aligned with the King would refuse to deal with me." Geoffrey replies.

"Now, Geoffrey... you do deserve punishment for you actions against Sonic, as they could have very well jeopardized any missions they had at the time. You did serve time in the Devil's Gulag, which will be counted towards you punishment." King Max tells the skunk.  
"I understand, sire." Geoffrey replies.

"Well, I know you are very loyal to me and the Kingdom. I also believe you are sincere in your apologies, thoguh your personality clash with Sonic was quite a severe one, and the conduct you displayed is not something I would expect from a general. For striking and attacking Sonic, I think a proper punishment is six months in the devil's gulag, and a complete loss of rank." King Max states.

"What? No! The military is all I have left! What else do I have to live for if I cannot serve my king and my country?" Geoffrey protests, standing up.

Elias stands next to Geoffrey.  
"Father, please. Don't imprison him again. I know he's sorry for what he did, but if he loses his rank and freedom, he will lose everything he tried to earn. He'll feel betrayed." Elias pleads.  
"Elias, if Geoffrey is unstable, he then poses a safety risk to the rest of the freedom fighters." King Max replies.  
"He's my best friend, and while I do have Sally and the Freedom Fighters, Geoffery is the only one I trust, and it's mutual." He tells his father.  
"Hmm. Do you feel the same way Geoffrey?" He asks.

"Sire, I do feel the same way. Elias is my best friend. He's the only one that puts up with me on a daily basis." The skunk replies.  
"Very well. You can keep your rank AND freedom, but on the condition that you get some counselling to get your anger under control. Does that sound fair?"  
"Oh, goodness, yes! It's very fair, my benevolent leader!" Geoffrey says, shaking King Max's hand.  
"Yes. You're welcome, Geoffrey." The King replies.

"Now, is there any other business that needs to be conducted here?" He asks.  
"Yes, sire. You know I don't want to be King, and Sally would love to be Queen someday. Are you fine with me passing the crown to her?" Elias asks.  
"Elias, you are the first-born male, and as tradition, you are the heir to the throne." King Max replies.  
"Why can't we break with tradition? Why can't we have female leaders, or even have elections for our leaders?" Sally asks.  
"Elections? Absolutely out of the question." King Max replies. "I would very much rather you be King after I die, Elias, but if you would rather have your sister in your place... then I will accept that. Sally, if you want to be queen, that's fine with me IF Sonic can prove himself to be a competent leader."  
Sonic is blushing a very deep red at this point.

"S-Sonic? Dad, what gave you the impression Sonic and I were going to get married?" Sally asks, blushing a bit as well.  
"Well, isn't it obvious? He cares a great deal about you, and he loves you. I'm sure you have the same feelings for him." Max replies.  
"I like him as a boyfriend, but I'm not sure if we're ready to get married..." Sally speaks, holding Sonic's hand.

The blue blur is completely embarassed and shocked from the older fur's brazen remarks.  
"I can't beleve how embarassing this is... Sure, I love Sally, but I don't think I can tie the knot with her just yet... Tails and the rest are gonna be teasin' me about this for weeks..." He thinks to himself.

"I don't mean that you need to get married right now, but later down the line, if you do... you have my blessing. I know Sonic is impulsive and quick-to-act, but if he can show he's a competent ruler, I'll give him my blessing to become King of Mobius." King Max speaks. "Sonic, will you show me that you can be a competent and skilled leader?"

Sonic is still silent, remaining still.  
"Sonic, my father asked you a question, and he deserves an answer." Sally speaks to him.  
"Y-yeah... I can show you I'll be a great leader. I'd love to have Sally as my Queen. I love her, after all... I mean-- oops..." Sonic blushes a deep red.  
"Oops? What do you mean "oops", Sonic Hedgehog?" Sally giggles, kissing him.

Sonic blushes as he kisses back. "Aww, Sal... not in front of the guys..."

This makes the freedom fighters giggle.

"Sally, I do love ya. You're the best thing that's happened to me." He tells her as he hugs her.  
"I love you, True Blue." She replies.

"Sonic, please kneel before me." King Max asks, stepping closer to the now-kneeling hedgehog.

He takes out his sword, placing it on Sonic's right shoulder. "I here by declare thee, Sir Sonic the Royal Hedgehog of Knothole Village. I am knighting you on behalf of your hard work in bringing down Doctor Robotnik, your dedication to the kingdom, and your alliegiance to me." King Max speaks, placing his sword back in his holster. "You may stand once again."  
"Wow... t-thanks, your majesty. I don't know what to say..." Sonic says softly.

"Sonic, you and your Freedom Fighters have earned the title of Knights. As for everything else, I think this court session settles it." King Max says. "I declare this meeting adjourned."

The furs start to leave the courtroom, when Tails walks by Sonic.  
"Sonic! Rotor wants to show us all somethin'. Come on!" Tails says, inviting Sonic and Sally to follow him to the courtyard.  
Sonic shrugs as he walks with Sally into the courtyard, when they hear a diesel engine running, getting louder as it approaches. Sonic gets into a defensive stance.  
"Stand back, guys. It could be trouble." Sonic he says, slowly walking towards the source of the noise.

He walks up, and sees a large, green-painted bus turning the corner. It comes to a stop in the street. Sonic is very suspicious. It has the royal flag on its grille and sides, meaning it's a royal vehicle, but it could be a trap. He's handled hundreds of traps in the past, and this doesn't concern him. The door opens as he approaches, and his good friend Rotor steps out.

"Rote! Ya surprised me, man! What is this thing, anyway?"

"This is our new Mobile Command Center. If anyone even THINKS about starting trouble, we'll be there in a heartbeat. You can run alongside us while we move, and we can form our plans up inside. Come in, and I'll show ya everything." Rotor says as he steps back into the vehicle.

"It's cool, Sal! It's safe, Tails... it's just Rotor and some machine he's built." Sonic says, walking into the bus with the walrus.

"The first few rows of seats are for us to sit back and relax as we respond, with my computers in the back. The seats fold back into beds if the trip's gonna be a long one. This giant vehicle is a combo war room/logistical headquarters/living center. Did I forget to mention the first-aid room to help with injuries?" Rotor explains, walking with them through the large vehicle.

"Do we really need this?" Sonic asks, a bit skeptical.  
"Well, it might be nice to have as a back-up, in case Knothole's ever discovered, or if Mobotropolis falls again. I just wanna keep us prepared." Rotor says.  
"Rote, lately, you've had WAY too much time on your hands. What are ya gonna build next, a jet?" Sonic chuckles, somewhat disappointing Rotor.  
"Sonic, Rotor has the right idea. Where did you find this?" Sally replies.  
"It was in one of Robotnik's scrap yards. I was able to completely re-build it from parts that were lying around here. It's one of the few times I'm thankful that Robotnik was a wasteful polluter." The walrus explains.  
"Well, you guys can ride in this... whatever it is... I'll keep with my feet." Sonic says.  
"For now, I'm gonna keep it in storage. I doubt we'll need it any time soon." The walrus says as he sits down in one of the chairs.

"Well, Sal, I guess we better find other jobs now." Sonic chuckles as he sits in one of the chairs.  
"why's that?" Sally asks.  
"Now that the country's being rebuilt, we'll have to settle down. I don't like conforming, though. I'll probably wind up livin' on a constant adventure, or bein' a DJ..." Sonic thinks out loud.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, true blue." Tails replies. He looks around along the walls of the vehicle, when he comes to an interesting device.

"What's that?" Tails asks, pointing at an odd-looking monitor.  
"This is a television reciever unit. King Max wanted me to tell you guys that he's planning a national address this evening at eight o'clock." He replies.  
"How will people see it?" Sonic asks.  
"The King was able to have some reciever units sent out to the other Freedom Fighter groups." Rotor tells Sonic.

Sonic looks at the clock.  
"We should be getting back to Knothole. It's getting late." Sonic says to Sally and Tails.  
"What's the rush, Sonic? We can explore the city now, and not have to worry about Swat-Bots coming to kill us." Tails replies.  
"Yeah, but we'll eventually need sleep." Sonic replies.  
"That's why my father said we could stay in the Royal Palace until reconstruction on the new Freedom HQ is complete." Sally informs Sonic.  
"Really? Sweet. Living here again might be fun after all." Sonic replies.

As the sun sets on the great forest and Mobotropolis, the furs get the news through word-of-mouth that the King has an important announcement. Eight o'clock arrives, and the furs in Knothole Village and Mobotropolis gather in their huts and in the Royal Palace to see the first television transmission in years. At first, there is only an image of the flag on the screen, but it soon switches to a desk in the newly-rebuilt Royal Throneroom. King Max is sitting on the throne. The Knothole Freedom Fighters and Wolf Pack gather in the lobby in front of a large television monitor as the announcements begin.

"Good Evening, Mobius. Over the past eighteen years, we have suffered under the technological terror of Doctor Ivo Robotnik. For eleven years, from 3224 to 3235, he basically ruled the entire planet..." He speaks

Sonic leans forward, a bit excited over what the King is saying.  
"Shh. Shh! He might mention us!" Sonic says, on the edge of his seat, as Sally, Antoine, and the rest watch inside Rotor's hut.

"but it was the courageous actions of a select few that would help overthrow Doctor Robotnik, and rescue me from the Void. These 'freedom fighters', as they call themselves, are in my personal debt. With Robotnik gone, and Ixis Naugus in hiding, it is time that we repopulate our cities and recover our nation that we so dearly love. There is no need for fear anymore, since there will be no more coups or revolutions. I wish to present my new government that will assist you, and myself, in rebuilding our proud nation."

"I wonder who he picked?" Sally asks, not knowing what her father has been up to in recent days.

"People of Mobius, I wish to introduce you to your ministers. Some are old friends, and some are new faces. They are, Sir Charles Hedgehog, Minister of Science, Sir Amadeus Prower, and the new Minister of Defense is Geoffrey St. John, who is replacing Warlord Kodos Lion. Now, to prevent another takeover, I've also drafted up laws that increase the power of the crown, and reduce the powers of the ministers somewhat, as a security measure. I look forward to working with you gentlemen in these weeks and months to come." King Max says, shaking their hands.

The freedom fighters are somewhat confused and speachless over the King's first Royal Address in nearly twenty years.

"What the hell was THAT about? 'Increasing the power of the crown'..." Sonic mutters.

"I... don't know, Sonic. This caught me by surprise, too. I'm going to have a talk with my father and see what he meant." Sally replies to him as she gets up and walks out of the lobby, and down the hall.

The princess opens the door and walks into the royal throne room, finding her father at his desk, sorting his papers.

"Father, what on earth was that? You *can't* be serious about this..." She asks.  
"Sally, I'm consolidating the ruling power under the throne. Last time we had a distribution of power, war broke out and I was thrown into the Void. I'm not going to let that happen again." He replies to his daughter.  
"So becoming a tyrant is your answer to it? I think you're making a huge mistake." Sally replies.  
"It's for the good of the people. You should know that. I do the things I do for the greater good. Not for selfishness or power or greed." King Max tells her, standing up.  
"The people need more power, not less! I agree that they've been through hell, but becoming like Robotnik is only going to backfire. If the people had freedoms like the echidnas on Angel Island, you could have your stability and security, while the people would still have their freedoms." Sally tries to explain.  
"Out of the question. I'm not going to turn the country into a republic or allow the people to elect their leaders, and that's final." King Max says.

As Sonic walks down the hallway, following Sally, he overhears an increasingly heated arguement. He can hear Sally and Max's voices as he peers through the doorway, unnoticed so far.

"Sally, I don't even know *why* you are so adamant on this. How the country is run does not concern you, because you are not the leader. I am." He tells her.  
"Father, I ruled for you for over ten years. I've been extremely loyal to you, leading a rebellion, gathering troops and freedom fighters together, and we tried to rescue you from the Void twice. You forget that, don't you? I should be involved in the politics of the country because I have experience. I know first-hand what's in the best interests of the people, becuase I have BEEN with the people." Sally protests.  
"Young lady, we're done with this matter." King Max says to Sally, sitting back down in his chair.  
"Fine. I can see it's pointless trying to talk to you right now." Sally says as she walks out of the room.

Sonic catches up to Sally.  
"Sal, what's wrong? You look steamed." Sonic asks.  
"My father thinks becoming a tyrant is in the best interests of Mobius. I think he's wrong, but he won't listen to me." Sally replies.  
"Don't worry. I know he'll come to his senses. And if he doesn't, we can overthrow him!" Sonic chuckles, joking with Sally.

The princess shakes her head at the joke.  
"I don't think so, Sonic." Sally replies to him. "I love my father, and I would never overthrow him."

"I get it." Sonic replies.

Later that next morning, the sun rises above the city of Mobotropolis. The shadows of the tall buildings reach across the cool, hard ground as the buildings are soon bathed with warm sunlight. The parks in the middle of the city are soon welcomed by the warmth of the sun.

Sonic's resting on his back against a tree with Sally, in the middle of the park's forest, next to the stream.  
"What's on your mind, Sal-gal?" Sonic asks.  
"Sonic, I know in my heart that you would make a good King of Mobius some day." She answers.  
"Well, I wouldn't let the country go down the tubes, that's for sure." Sonic speaks.  
"I've also been thinking about the Kingdom... I think the people should have a choice on who is their leader." Sally tells him.  
"You mean like the echidnas' democracy?" Sonic asks.

"Sort of, yeah. The king would stay as the leader, but we should have the right to elect tribal leaders or councillors for each area to serve underneath him. Sort of like advisors to the King. He would no longer have absolute power. Instead, he'd have to talk things over with his ministers." Sally explains.

"I dunno, Sal... that idea might not go over too well with your dad..." Sonic thinks outloud, recalling last night's shout-fest between Sally and her father.  
"I'm sure he'll welcome it as progress towards rebuilding the kingdom. He's already begun re-hiring his former ministers and advisers. We just need to convince him that it's not going to tear the country apart." Sally replies.  
"How will we do that?" Sonic asks.  
"Well... Elias might be willing to explain it to father, and if that fails, we might have to lead a protest." Sally says.  
"A protest? That could get ugly... let's just hope he listens to reason." Sonic says.

In the royal palace, Elias enters his father's study, seeing him looking over some documents. The look on his face clearly shows he's very concerned, thinking something very important over, and it's draining him of his energy. He's visibly tired from staying up all night, considering his options on the Kingdom's future. Elias walks into the room, hoping to find a peaceful resolution to the family dispute.

"Father, you look upset. Talk to me." Elias says as he sits next to his father's desk.

King Max sighs, rubbing his head.

"You know I've longed for peace in the Kingdom, my son. I just cannot accept peace if the concessions I must make for it are too great. I don't do appeasement." King Max replies to his son.

"I understand. I just hoped there was a way we could come to a peaceful comprimise. I think that would be in the Kingdom's best interest." Elias replies.

"Elias, I understand you mean well. I'm just not going to back down, though. If you think I will, then you're sorely mistaken. I *will* have you as my successor if you and Sally decide to go against me." He speaks.

Elias nods as he walks out, slowly making his way back towards the park. The prince approaches Sally and Sonic, who are sitting under the trees.

"Any luck?" Sally asks him.

Elias shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. Father's much too stubborn to give a comprimise. He even threatened to force me to become King instead of you if we tried to change his mind any further..."

"Sal, I think your dad's attitude about this sucks. I know he's your dad, and our King, but he doesn't have the rights to become just like Ixis Naugus and Robotnik..." Sonic replies to her.

"What should we do?" Elias asks.

"I'm very annoyed at my father, so I think we should have a peaceful protest against his decisions. He may change his mind if he sees the people at large don't like what he's doing." Sally explains to her friends.

Sonic looks around. Sure, there are people walking by, but would they truly protest against the king?

"Sonic, We need to get the Freedom Fighters. Where's Rotor?" Sally asks the blue-furred hedgehog.  
"I think Rote's working on his mobile command center thingy..." Sonic replies.

Sally stands up, helping Sonic to his feet.

"What do you have planned?" He asks, walking with Sally and Elias.  
"I have a plan to get my father's attention. We get the Freedom Fighters to lead a protest on the castle, and we tell him our demands." Sally replies, before picking up her pocket computer, NICOLE.

"Nicole, notify Rotor and the Freedom Fighters that we need them, and we're on the way." She speaks.

"Working, Sally..." NICOLE replies, sending a signal to Rotor's computer inside the mobile command center.

Rotor is doing some work on his computers when he is notified of an incoming transmission from NICOLE. The walrus picks up his headset to listen to the message.

"Rotor, Sally requests your presence in the Grand Park. Rally the Freedom Fighters and bring the mobile command center. She will give further instructions upon your arrival." NICOLE reports to the walrus.

"Gee... this sounds really big. I'm on my way." He says to himself.

The walrus gets up and walks towards the Freedom Fighters' lounge in the lobby of the new Freedom HQ. He opens the door, seeing Antoine and Bunnie sitting on the couch.

"Guys, we gotta go. Trouble's brewin'." He speaks.  
"what's happenin', Rotor?" Bunnie asks, sitting up.  
"Sally wants a meeting with all Freedom Fighters in the park. It's concerning the King's recent announcements." Rotor explains.  
"Zen, we shall go." Antoine replies. "As a loyal guard, I nevair disobey a direct ordair."

The three furs walk into the underground parking garage, where the Mobile Command Center is located.

"Hop in. We'll get there in no time." Rotor says as he opens the passenger door.

Bunnie and Antoine hop in, and Rotor pulls the vehicle out of the garage, into the now-crowded city streets. He carefully turns onto the road near the park, and sees Sally standing with Sonic on the marquee in the middle of the park, surrounded by furs.

"What is zis?" Antoine asks.  
"This is what Sally was telling us about." Rotor replies as he stops the bus-like vehicle.

The walrus opens the door and hops out, quickly followed by Bunnie and Antoine.  
"Sal-gal! Are you in trouble?" Bunnie asks.

"No, Bunnie, but we need to protect my father from himself. He's making a grave mistake by trying to strip us of our freedoms that we suffered for and fought so hard for." Sally replies.

One of the furs in the crowd shouts out a question. "Yeah, but isn't protesting the king against the law? You know... treason?"  
"No, we have the right to peaceful protest, and if my father sends his troops out after us, we will defend ourselves." She replies.  
"How will we get him to listen to us?" Lupe asks.  
"I have a plan. I will lead the protest to the steps of the castle, and speak with my father directly. If he refuses to listen, then I'll declare him mentally incompetent to rule, and assume power as the acting ruler of Mobius." She explains. "Is everyone ready? Once we start, there's no turning back. Whoever wants out, now's the time to leave."

No one leaves. The Freedom Fighter groups are loyal to Sally. While they are loyal to the king, they also want to protect their freedoms, and are prepared to fight him. The princess then hands out four radios, one to Rotor, one to Lupe, one to Bunnie, and one to Tails.

"What do I do, Sally?" Tails asks, standing with Wes and Knuckles.

"Tails, you'll be our aerial support. We'll need you to see if re-inforcements are coming. If they are, let us know on the radios. Wes and Knuckles will be our strength to hold back any attackers." She explains.

"Alright. Rotor, Antoine. I'll need you boys in the Mobile Command Center for logistics and to keep us all in contact with each other. We'll coordinate our movements through you. Don't be afraid to run if my father's Secret Service corner you." She explains to her technician.

"I'm ready when you are, Sal-Gal." Sonic says, holding her hand with his own.

Sally waves to the furs, and begins leading the march down the wide, tree- and tower-lined boulevard. Traffic is brought to a stand-still with the furs marching along the avenue. As they approach cross-streets, Lupe runs forward with the WolfPack, holding back traffic while Sally and her Freedom Fighters march towards the castle.

Geoffrey is standing guard at the gate of the Royal Palace compound. He looks through his binoculars, seeing something he can't believe. Sally is leading a group of protesting rebels against the crown upon the castle! He quickly runs towards the Castle, pushing the doors open as he rushes into the main lobby.

"SIRE! DANGER! There's a large protest starting up in the city center, and Sally's leading them!" He reports.

"WHAT? I'll handle this myself! Gather the Secret Service, and arm them with rubber bullets. I won't have a rebellion on my watch." King Max growls, looking out the window.  
"Y-yes, sire." Geoffrey says, walking out of the room.

The skunk walks out with a few dozen Secret Service officers, staying behind the solid steel gates. Among the soldiers are the four Fanged Felons, Nack the Weasel and his brothers. He holds his paw out in a gesture to have them stop.

"Geoffrey, stand down." Sally tells the skunk, through the gate.  
"I can't, Sally. You know that. I have direct orders from His Majesty, the King to stop you." He replies, standing firm against the princess.  
"Geoffrey, you and your men stand down or you will be arrested and tried for treason. I'm here to talk to my father and this seems to be the only way to get him to listen." Sally replies to him.

Geoffrey steps back, and is about to open the gate, when King Max's voice barks out over the intercom.

"Geoffrey, if you open that gate for Sally, I will revoke your pardon, have you tried for war crimes, and personally execute you for disobeying a direct order!" He says, very angrily.

The skunk then looks at Sally and Sonic, wondering what he should do in his awkward position.  
"Stand down, Geoffrey. You won't be punished for it if you do." The princess tells him.  
"You're not in control of that, your father is." Geoffrey replies to her.  
"I'll make sure that he does not punish you. I think he's gone senile and no longer able to rule the country." Sally explains to him.  
Geoffrey thinks this over. He stands aside, and presses the gate control button, opening it up for Sally.

The king watches this through the window, furious of Geoffrey's betrayal and alliance with his daughter. He opens the gate.  
"Soldiers, hold your ground. Shoot the crowd with rubber bullets to disperse them." He orders calmly.

The secret service soldiers move into place, blocking the now-opened gate, with their guns drawn. Sonic moves into a defensive stance. Nack holds his gun firmly, aiming at Sonic.

"Want me to take 'em all out, Sal?" He asks.  
"No, Sonic. I don't want anyone hurt. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid." She replies to her friend.

"Stand down, or we will fire!" One of the soldiers yells, holding his gun firmly.

The crowd remains still. Rotor watches the scene unfold from 50 feet away in his mobile command center. He then gets an idea.

"We have the right to a free and peaceful protest. You can't do this!" Lupe yells back to the royal guards.

"Sally, this is Rotor. I have an idea." He tells her through the radio, which is relayed to NICOLE.  
"I'm all ears, Rotor. What is it?" She replies.  
"If they fire on you guys, have the crowd scatter. Fall back and hide behind the mobile command center, and I'll provide cover as we force our way into the castle. If that fails, I'll act as a distraction and try to have them chase me as I lead them away." He explains to Sally, Sonic, and Elias.

Sally thinks this over. It's a good plan, but it's risky. People could end up injured."

"Alright. Let's do it." She replies.

"This is your FINAL warning. Cease protesting or we will fire!" The guards order.

"We will not back down, soldiers. As the princess, I can over-rule you." Sally replies.

The soldiers then open fire, spraying rubber bullets into the crowd. Sonic quickly picks up Sally and runs behind Rotor's Mobile Command Center. Geoffrey runs along-side Sonic, shielding Elias as he follows close behind. As the following chaos ensues, the other furs scatter and shield themselves from being struck by the gunfire.

"We're ready, Rote!" Sonic yells to his friend, banging twice on the side of the vehicle.

Rotor stomps his foot down on the accelerator pedal and approaches the gates. Geoffrey dives out of the way as Rotor's large vehicle storms the gate. The guards open fire with their rubber bullets, trying to disable the bus-like automobile's engine, and to injure rotor, but they fail. The guards start to step backwards.

One of the guards orders the rest to fall back and scatter as the large diesel-powerd machine smashes through the gate. Rotor shields himself with one arm from any flying glass as the gates crash and fold from the impact of the vehicle. He quickly steers it and slams on the break, coming to a halt as he turns roughly ninety degrees on the grass.

The guards compose themselves and quickly surround the protesting crowd of Mobians that followed Rotor and Antoine in. Sally stands beside the metal machine, with Sonic, Elias, Geoffrey and Lupe.

"Princess, what do we do? I don't think we can out-fight them." Rotor tells her.

"Sal, we're in huge trouble. They're outnumbered, but we're out-gunned!" Sonic says as the Soldiers surround the Freedom Fighters.

"FIRE ON THREE!" The leader of the royal soldiers yells. "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

As soon as the soldiers fire their weapons on the Freedom Fighters, spheres surround the bullets and guns, stopping them dead in their tracks.

"W-what's going on?" Sally asks, shielding herself from the expected onslaught of bullets.  
"I dunno... is this Tails' work?" Sonic replies.  
"No, I'm right here above you, Sonic. I see people running around inside the castle, but most of the guards are in front of ya." The flying fox replies

As quickly as things stopped, they resume. The bullets turn around and shoot at the shielded soldiers, knocking them out. Their guns start to glow red and melt into clay.

The freedom Fighters look around, curious as to who saved them. A kitsune vixen leaps from the castle wall onto the vehicle's roof, and then onto the ground in front of Sally and Sonic. Rotor and Antoine carefully step out of the vehicle to see who it is. The mysterious newcomer dusts herself off and straightens her shirt.

"Don't worry, I'm on your side. I take it you are Princess Sally and the Knothole Freedom Fighters..." She says, shaking hands with Princess Sally and Rotor.  
"Hey, thanks a lot for the cover back there... I was starting to think we were goners." Rotor says.

Tails feels something oddly familiar about this kitsune female.

He approaches her. "That was... that was kitsune power you were using back there. Who are you?"

"It's been a long time tails, I am Fiona... I am truly of kitsune-kin, just like you... I was sent here by Genra to help your friends restore peace." she explains.

"How do you know about me? How did you do that to those guards? Are they dead?" Tails inquires.

"No no no... they're not dead, merely unconscious. They'll wake up soon enough. My powers are tele-kinetic. I can manipulate material with my mind. As for you, Genra told me all about you, Sonic, and Knuckles." She replies, walking closer to him.

"That's good to know... Sally and the rest of us were trying to avoid casualties." Tails says as he walks with Fiona and Sally into the castle.

The Freedom Fighters enter the main hall, but find it deserted, darkened and unlit.

"Sal, where is everybody? Wouldn't a castle normally be filled with royal servants or government workers?" Sonic wonders.

"Yes, it would... this could be a trap. Everyone, stay on your toes and be careful." She replies, backing up against the wall, holding NICOLE firmly in her hands.

"NICOLE, scan the area for any infrared laser beams and security grids." She asks.

"Working, Sally..." NICOLE replies, scanning the room.

"The main hall is clear, Sally. I assume it is safe to proceed." NICOLE states.

Sally places NICOLE back in her pocket and walks forward, motioning for her friends to follow closely. As the princess approaches the throne, two guards remain, standing at King Max's side. The two large bears prepare to defend their king and hold their battle axes firmly. King Max is cluching his sword firmly, keeping it at his side as he sits.

"Stand down, guards. It is Sally. Let my daughter approach." He speaks to his guards.

Sally steps up to her father's throne, standing ten feet from him, with her friends further back.

"I am quite surprised you managed to get past all of my guards, my dear." King Max tells Sally, sitting still on his throne, somewhat uneasy.

"Sire, we went up against ol' 'Buttnik for TEN years, and tossed Ixis back into his dimensional warp! It wasn't *that* hard to do..." Sonic chuckles.

"Sonic, this is not the time to be cracking jokes! The fate of our country is at stake." Sally says to him.

The princess then steps closer to her father, with Prince Elias and Sonic at her side.

"Father, why have you done this?" She asks the king.

"Why have I done this? Sally, I did nothing, but rule with the kingdom's best interests in mind. If I did not have a firm grip on the country, the various tribes composing it would rip it apart with their in-fighting and squabbling. Sure, a secession here, an independence movement there... soon, instead of one powerful and stable nation, we have a dozen or so small, unstable city-states constantly at war with each other. This is what Mobius was before my ancestor united everyone all these years ago." King max replies to her.

"Father, that is not a reason for stripping away peoples' civil liberties and rights. You've become what you, and we, have fought so hard all these years against." Sally explains to him.

The king is unmoved by his daughter's pleas so far, but listens intently to what she has to say. He stands up and takes a few steps closer to her.

"For years, I was in exile. I had dreamed of the time I could return and rebuild my nation. I've seen it torn apart by war, and then by a tyrant that overthrew me and my government. My ancestors united all the various tribes under one nation to end the in-fighting, and my father, Edmund, worked so hard to bring us into the modern era... I wanted to continue my father's work and make the Kingdom the most advanced nation on Mobius. See, the problems here is that our country is just so diverse. Many of the different species fought with each other in the past, as well as having to deal with the humans' threats... Our only blessing was that we had a couple allies, such as the Echidnas, and our colonies of Downunda and Mercia... If I loosen the crown's grip on the country, I'm worried it will devolve into chaos and civil war. I also want to prevent any possible takeovers in the future." King Max explains.

"Sire, you must truly have more faith in the people of Mobius. They're not cave-furs, and they're not ready to fight each other at a moment's notice, and they don't have the hair-trigger tempers like the humans did." Elias replies.

"I trust the people, but I do not trust the freedom movements within." He tells his son.

"Sire, we're freedom fighters. We fight FOR the crown, not against it. You actually think we're renegades that want to overthrow you???" Sonic asks.

"I've fought most of my life in wars. Wartime is hell. Perhaps i'm simply having a difficult time adjusting to a life of peacetime. My father did tell me that fighting the war was easy, but fighting the peace would be extremely difficult." The king tells Sonic.

"Dad, you're not supposed to fight the peace. Freedom will be welcomed by all of the people of Mobius, I can promise you that. All this violence could have been avoided if you simply let us talk with you like this..." Sally says.

"Yes, about talking... calling me a senile old fool that's too incompetent to rule the country due to my age to the people of the country is hardly respectful. Why should I have listened to you? He asks.

"Father, that was my idea." Elias lies, hoping to take the blame for Sally.

"I would have figured either of you would do that. Elias, I know you are a noble person and you love your country just as much as Sally and I do. I also know that Sally said that. While trying to cover for her is a valliant act, I should not reward her for it. This is why I will instate the birthright to rule after me to you instead of her." He speaks.

"I understand, father... though... I never wanted to BE a prince..." Elias says, lowering his head.

"WHAT??? You CAN'T be serious!" King Max yells.

"I'm sorry, father. I never felt comfortable in the life of a prince. I'd be simply happy in life as a woodsman or an athlete..." Elias replies.

Sally stands firm.

"Father, if your best interests are in the country, why not let the person best suited for the role of leader rule after you?" Elias speaks

"Elias, you're breaking my heart. I wanted nothing more than to have you continue after me. You and your sister are going to drive me to an early death, with your dislike of the royal life, and her affection of a democratic sytem..." He says, rubbing his head.

"Father, what about a comprimise?" Sally asks.

King Max looks up at her. "Go on..."

"You will keep your rule as the head of state, but we simply elect our leaders of the various tribes and regions. We could try this form of partial democracy with elections every four years, and a constitution that protects peoples' rights. If this style of government fails and collapses at the first test it has to go through, then I will support reverting back to an absolute monarchy. If you want to know my opinion, though... I think it will survive far better through any trial than a monarchy would. If you give the mobians a chance to flourish, I guarantee you, father, that you will never be disappointed. They are the most creative civilization on the planet." Sally tells him.

Max sits back down on his throne and thinks this over.

"It's the surprises down the road that I don't like. However, you and your friends do present a rather compelling case. Your determination and efforts towards your cause are proof of this. I'll allow "democratization" on the condition that if the country collapses like it did under Robotnik, that we have no more talk of democracy, and remain an absolute monarchy." King Max says.

"I'm glad we were able to reach a peaceful conclusion to our problem, father." Sally tells him.

"So am I, sally." He says, shaking her hand.

"Now, I have to talk to my ministers about this, but I will speak to you further about this later. Elections will come within the month. In the meantime, this little conflict is over, and I want you to conduct yourselves in a respectful manner." King Max says as he stands up.

The furs step back from Max as he walks towards his briefing room.

"Mission accomplished, Sal." Sonic says, holding Sally's hand in his own.  
"Sonic, I'm so glad our country can finally move on from its horrific past." She replies, hugging him as they walk out.

The furs and soldiers are waiting outside of the castle, wondering what has happened. The large doors to the castle open, with Sonic and Sally walking out, being followed by Tails, Rotor, and the other Freedom Fighters.

"What happened?" Lupe asks.  
"Was there an assasination? How is the king?" Another fur asks.  
"My father is fine. He's alive, and will remain as king, but we've reached an agreement on power-sharing. Long Live the King, and Long Live a free Mobius!" Sally replies, to a now-cheering crowd.

The soldiers walk back inside the castle as the crowd celebrates, starting to move away from the castle. Sally and the furs walk back towards the large egg-shaped Control Center.  
"Ladies and gentlemen of Mobius. I Know we've all been through hardship and struggle all these years, but we are well on the way to rebuilding our lives and our nation. My father has told me that we should expect elections within the month." Sally speaks, standing on top of Rotor's mobile command center.  
The large crowd is cheering Sally's accomplishments.  
"Sally for President! You can do it, Sally!" Some furs cheer.  
"Throw away daddy's monarchy and run for president already!" Another shouts.  
"No no... I'd like to, but I'm glad to simply be a princess for the people." She speaks.  
"Say, Sal... why have you brought us HERE, of all places? It's kinda creepy-lookin'..." Sonic says, standing beside her.  
"I'll explain that now." Sally tells him with a smile.  
"Now, this large building behind me is a painful reminder of our past and what we have suffered through: Robotnik's reign of terror. He is long-gone, so I am dedicating this building as Freedom Headquarters Mobotropolis, the new command base of the Freedom Fighters!" She speaks to the crowd The crowd seems pleased with that decision.  
"What will go on there?" One fur asks.  
"We will have training for furs that want to join the Freedom Fighters, and it will have bunk-rooms, and our meeting room. It's a good fit because we conquered Robotnik, and it's next to Memorial Park, the Royal Palace, and across the street from the Mobian Council, our government offices. Everyone should take some time off to celebrate." She explains.

"Alright, we held up our side of the bargain, now you hold up yours!" Nack says, approaching King Max in the lobby of the castle.  
"Very well. Your debt to the kingdom has been repaid. You weasel boys can leave, though I thought you liked the payments." King Max speaks.  
"It ain't that..." Karl speaks... "We're weasels. It's our nature to steal and con others and be bounty hunters."  
"I had a feeling the allure of crime would gradually tempt you." King Max speaks.  
"Well, we're gone, sire. Thanks for the money." Connor speaks as they walk out of the castle.  
"I just hope those weasels don't become a thorn in my side..." King Max thinks to himself.

"So, what now?" Jeff asks.  
"Simple, boys. Vacation, then back to the ol' life of huntin' bounty and treasure." Nack explains. "And I know our first "vacation spot" to visit."

As the sun sets on another day in Mobotropolis, Tails turns his television set on in his tenth-floor room. The fox listens in on the programs being broadcast as he sorts his socks in his drawer.  
"Yo, Tails! Come in here! The King's gonna give his speech about what happened earlier!" Sonic tells him, calling from the living room.  
The twin-tailed fox listens and walks into the living room. The Knothole Freedom Fighters gather around the television in the living room.

The television comes alive, with an announcer's voice speaking.  
"This is a special news report from ZFOX-TV News. We are going live to the Mobian Council government uildings for King Max's address to the nation."  
The cameras switch to King Max's briefing room, where he is sitting at his desk.  
"Good evening. A few hours ago, my daughter, Princess Sally, led a massive protest against me and my government with her group, the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Their demands included the retention of their rights and civil liberties, and the addition of elections every four years. I have discussed this with my cabinet (core) ministers, and we have decided that elections would be in the nation's best interest, to help bring stability, strength, and prosperity. Therefore, starting tomorrow, my government will hold elections on the district-level every four years on June 5th. These elections are not to choose a new leader, but rather to choose government officials. I will remain as head of state, and my cabinet will still be hand-picked and appointed by myself, but from the elected people. I have drafted up appropriate "ridings" or districts for the people to run in. You may run for office in only one district, and you may only vote once, for one person. My minister of defense, Amadeus Prower will now show a list of the ridings where the elections are taking place." The king speaks so far.

The screen then switches to a blue-tinted background, with gold letterings, showing the areas where people will run for office, and where to vote for them.  
"These elections will pick tribal leaders, such as for the canines, and the felines. They will then serve with me as my cabinet and government and work on rebuilding the nation, similar to a town council. Elections will last for one week, to let everyone have a chance. These votes will be tallied, and the person with the highest number of votes gains the position of government official. I want everyone to be calm, patient, and tolerant of these election results. I do not want the country to devolve into fighting over voting. Thank you for your time, and goodnight." King Max closes the speech.

"I don't even remember the last time we had elections... or peace. It's been that long..." Sonic says to Tails and Bunnie.  
"Well, Sonic, most of us were only five years old when Robuttnik took over. Before that, was the Great War." Rotor replies.  
"Yeah. I'm just glad things are finally getting back to how they used to be... though, I admit... it's gonna be weird, since the "normal" we were used to was hiding out in a forest valley and leading an insurgency against a techno-tyrant." Sonic speaks. "We lost our childhood fighting that madman..."  
"We're Freedom Fighters, Sonic. We survive everything we're given. Not everyone was as luck as we were." Rotor speaks.

"You know, we should invite the other Freedom Fighter groups here like a grand council. Therefore, if any threat arises anywhere on Mobius, we'll be ready for it." Sally proposes to her friends.  
"That's a great idea, Sal. Sort of like a huge Freedom Fighter reunion?" Sonic wonders.  
"Well, sort-of. Since there's going to be a huge celebration of the kingdom's rebirth, it would be the perfect time for it. I'll put the message out to the others." She says, before speaking into NICOLE.

The sentient hand-held computer then saves the message. "Save complete. Sending now, Sally."

Sonic stretches and yawns on the couch... "Well, I'm beat. Time for me to get some shut-eye." Sonic says tiredly as he gets up, walking to bed, with the other Freedom Fighters following suit.

As Sonic and tails enter their bedroom, Sonic turns to Tails, who hops onto the top bunk.  
"You know Tails... Sally and I have been together for a long time..." Sonic says as he lays back in his bed.  
"Yeah... why?" Tails asks, somewhat curious about what's on the hedgehog's mind.  
"I'm gonna propose to her. I love Sally and i want to marry her." Sonic says as he lays on his bed.

Tails looks over the side of his bed, peering down at Sonic from above with a smile on his face. "That is such a sweet thing to do, Sonic."  
"Yeah, I know. I even have it all planned out. After a fun day at the festival, I'll take her on the ferris wheel where we'll watch the fireworks, and that's when I ask the question." Sonic replies.  
"That's so romantic..." Tails sighs. "Why dontcha ever do stuff like that with me?"  
Tails and Sonic laugh, while Sonic playfully tosses a pillow at Tails.

Deep in the outermost reaches of space around another star in the same spiral arm of the galaxy, a long interstellar cruiser glides through the vast emptiness of space with its armada. Most of the crew aboard this unknown vessel are asleep, with the captain and stellar navigator remaining awake. The stellar navigator keeps his eyes trained on a black screen with various coloured pinpoints of light, the three-dimensional stellar map with the nearby stars on it for guidance. A report comes in of civilization activity on Mobius, the third planet orbiting the star Sol. The navigator reads the transmission, and places its video on the screens. Soon, some of the telescreens start crackling with life.

"Navigator, what is that?" the large rabbit asks.  
"I-I'm not sure." The technically-inclined navigator replies. "They seem to be coming from the star Sol."  
"Sol? Hmm...." The commander thinks to himself, somewhat skeptical.  
"I do believe that is where Mobius is, sir." The navigator replies, still trying to decypher the signals.  
"Mobius. That DEAD world that Doctor Robotnik destroyed with his insane techno-tyranny? What of it?" The commander speaks to himself.  
"Well, if the signals are coming from there, then that might not a dead world after all. This should be worth investigating." The navigator replies.  
"I see. We can easily take down Doctor Robotnik if he's still there, but would it be worth it? Have you figured out what those signals are?" He asks.  
"They're carrier waves. Most likely from a broadcast transmitter on Mobius. The frequency is 175.25 Megahertz, positive offset of 10 kilohertz." The navigator replies as he types on his keyboard.  
"Wait... i'm getting something else... an audio carrier as well, at 179 Megahertz. This might be a television signal." The navigator speaks to his superior officer.

Soon, shapes start to present themselves from within the static, and sound is heard over the speakers. It is King Maximillian Acorn's national address broadcast four years before, stating his intentions to rebuild the country, and to let the pollution levels die down in Mobotropolis before allowing repopulation.

"Robotnik's overthrown, and the furs are STILL the dominant life forms on Mobius? Set a new course for Mobius. We need to pay our ancient home a well-needed visit." The commander said.  
"We are orbiting the nearest star, around 2 light-years away. We need to use hyperdrive" The navigator asks.  
"Yes. How long will it take for us to reach Mobius at light speed?" The commander asks.  
"Four years' time." The navigator replies.  
"That's fine. Just get our ships there quickly." The commander says.

The ships then shoot their laser beams towards a focused point, causing a black hole that they approach. The spacecraft engines roar to life as they are pushed forward, towards Mobius.


	14. Chapter 14

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: June 5-18, 3241 - Early Summer  
- - - - - -

Chapter 13 - Breathing Room

For the first time in nearly twenty years, the sounds of music and laughter echo through the Mobotropolis Central Park. The first Summer Festival in a long time has returned. Much of the park is taken up with rows of arcade games and small rides, along with a big Ferris Wheel, giving a great view of the harbour and bay. Music is blaring loud over the soundspeakers, and the laughter of children on rides is heard by the people in the crowds.

A certain familiar couple is walking along the midway.  
"Sonic, this is so wonderful. It's just like how i remember it in my childhood. I can hardly believe this is real." Sally says, walking with Sonic.  
"Oh, it's real, Sal. Without villains to mess things up and scare people, we can have fun again." Sonic replies.

Sonic stops when he hears the roaring of small diesel engines. "What's that I hear? Go-Karts?"  
"Sonic, you're already faster than those little karts..." Sally giggles.  
"Yeah, but i gotta be the fastest thing alive in everything. Come on, I'll race ya!" Sonic smirks, running towards the Go-Karts line, with Sally running close behind him.

"He's always so competitive... and yet, I love him..." Sally thinks to herself.

Sonic and Sally hop into two available Go-Karts.

"Three laps around the track, Sal. Think you can beat me?" Sonic asks as he puts his helmet on.

"Sonic... It's no contest. I'll beat you." She smirks, putting her helmet on.

The two freedom fighters rev their engines and race off down the track as soon as the light turns green. As Sonic steers his Go-Kart, Sally approaches him from behind. The two furs battle for first place as they race along the circuit. Sonic tries to keep up, but Sally manages to stay just a small bit ahead. The finish line approaches quickly, and Sally finishes ahead of her best friend. Sally stops the Go-Kart as Sonic approaches a few secodns later.

"Well, Sonic... I thought you said you were the fastest thing alive." Sally says to him.  
Sonic takes his helmet off and shakes his head, trying to get rid of "helmet fur".;  
"Yeah, well, if I ain't runnin', being the fastest thing alive is just awkward and weird for me." He replies

"That's alright, Sonic. I still love ya, speed or no speed." Sally tells him as they walk towards the ride exit.

"Here we are, Bunnie! Zee midway!" Antoine tells Bunnie, walking with her.  
"Aww, why, Antoine.. this is the sweetest thing you've ever done for me." Bunnie remarks to her friend.

"Well, I... how do you say eet in English... I have ze crushings for you..." He blushes, walking with her.  
"You are just too cute!" She giggles, hugging him as they walk down the midway.

As the two walk by, they pass a booth with a few pendants to win.

"Step right up! Come on, people! Hit the bull's-eye and win a prize!" The booth operator speaks, when he sees Antoine.

"You there, my well-dressed soldier friend... how would you like to win a prize for your girl?" He asks.

Antoine turns and looks at Bunnie, then the booth operator.

"Oooh, Antoine... they have jade pendants..." She says, looking at a couple of the pieces to win.

"If zat is what you like, zen I shall win one for you, my dear." Antoine speaks, walking up to the booth.  
The booth operator hands him a dart and steps back to watch. Antoine throws, and it lands dead on in the center.

"Antoine! You did it!" Bunnie says happily, hugging him.

"Oof! Uhh... oui, oui... I did it for you, Bunnie." Antoine replies, placing the pendant around Bunnie's neck.

The female bunny hugs her friend tightly as they walk along the fairway. The cute couple bump into a pair of their friends.

"Hey, Elias... Geoffrey. Whutch'all doin' here?" She asks.  
"We're just walking along and having a good time.... and you?" Geoiffrey asks.  
"Same here, sugah-prince! You two are the cutest couple I've ever seen." She says, causing elias and Geoffrey to blush.  
"W-well...what about Sonic and Sally? They grew up together... you can tell they love each other, even if they don't say it..." Elias replies.  
"Yeah, that's sure 'nuff..." She replies, walking with her friends.

As the sun sets on the first day of the carnival, we find two furs in particular getting on the ferris wheel. The night is very special, being a night of celebration and freedom. Sonic steps forward, but helps Sally into the ferris wheel seat.  
"Princesses first, Sal." He says, holding her hand before joining her.  
"My my, such a modest and patient hedgehog... where's the real Sonic?" She giggles in return.  
"He's gone far, far away..." Sonic jokes, in a lame villain's voice.

The two sit back and enjoy the ride as it takes them higher above the midway, soon giving a great view of Mobotropolis, as well as the perfect seats for the fireworks. Sally scoots a bit closer to Sonic, who hugs her gently with an arm.  
"This was a very sweet and romantic idea, Sonic hedgehog..." She says softly, in the arms of her hero and best friend.  
"I thought you'd like it, Sally." He replies, watching the fireworks with her.

After a few minutes of watching the fireworks, Sally breaks the silence of words. "Sonic, I was thinking about our futures..."  
"Whatcha mean?" He asks.  
"Well, I'm going to be queen someday, and I was hoping that you might be willing to rule with me when that time comes." She continues.  
"I was born free, Sal. I can't be tied down in one place. I don't think I'd make a good king or dad anyway..." he explains.  
"I know you would. I wouldn't tie you down, Sonic... that would be unfair. You are who you are: a renegade adventurer who runs with the wind and fixes injustice." She replies to him.  
"In that case... would you marry me, Sal?" Sonic asks, showing Sally a small ring made by Uncle Chuck that would fit on her finger.  
"Of course I will, Sonic Hedgehog." she smiles and kisses him.

In Botany Bay, Downunda, Walt and Barby are relaxing at their hang-out on the beach, listening to the radio's news reports.

"This is the Royal News. With the fall of Robotnik's empire, the kingdom is commencing a week-long festival in celebration, in downtown Mobotropolis. All are welcome to join in the celebrations." The radio informs.

"Nice. We've worked hard to restore Downunda, Barby. We could use a vacation to the "big city". It could even be like a big Freedom Fighter Reunion." Walt speaks.  
"That's on the other side of the planet, though..." Barby replies.

"Yeah, but you'll get to see Tails again." He points out.  
"Agreed! Let's go!" She says, grabbing him by the hand.

"Yipes!" He yelps, being dragged out the door by his friend.

She quickly finds the other Downunda Freedom Fighters nearby. Guru Emu is meditating under a palm tree, while Wombat Stu and Duck "Bill" Platypus are playing basketball.

"Hey, mates... there's a big Freedom Fighter reunion in Mobotropolis. Think we should stop by for a visit?" Barby asks her fellow freedom fighters.  
Wombat Stu and Bill stop playing their ball game.  
"Sure. Sounds like fun to meet friends from all over." Bill replies.  
"How will we get there?" Wombat Stu asks.  
"I managed to turn one of Crocbot's aircraft into something we can use to fly there." Walt says.  
"Let's go, then!" Barby says, leading Wombat stu and Bill with her towards their hideout.

Waiting in the sun, is a medium-sized passenger plane, with enough seats for ten people. Walt helps his friends into it and turns it on, taking off.

"We should be able to make it there within twelve hours." He tells his friends as he steers the flying airplane.

While flying over the Great River, the plane begins to experience engine trouble. Walt grips the steering wheel firmly, trying to glide the plane down towards some small islands in the river. The plane manages to land safely. Walt steps out of the plane and looks around to get his bearings. He sees he's on a very small island, with a solitary house on it.

"I'll go ask for help. You guys stay put." He says, walking up to the house.

He knocks softly on the door. He remains silent, as he hears footsteps inside. The wallaby is somewhat nervous as the door opens. A short, elderly black-skinned human opens the door.

"Yes, son? How can I help you?" He asks.  
"My friends and I were flying to Mobotropolis when our plane had some engine trouble. We had to land nearby. Can you help us fix it?" He asks.  
"Of course I can. I'll get my tools." He speaks.

The human walks over to their small plane and immediately gets to work on it.  
"You seem to know what you're doing..." Walt says, watching him.  
"I used to be a mechanic, then I had a... a clerical job for a while. That's all ancient history, though." He explains.

Walt nods his head in recognition.

"A-HA! Gotcha." The elderly man speaks, ripping out the corroded fuel line. "I have a newer one of these in the shed, but I think that should fix it."  
He gets up and walks back towards his house, returning a few minutes later with a new fuel hose. He installs it and checks it to be sure.

"Why dontcha give 'er a go?" He says to Barby.  
She turns the plane on as Walt and the elderly man stand back.  
"Hey, it works! Ya fixed it, mate!" She says.  
"I'm just glad to help my fellow Mobians." the elderly man replies.  
"You don't seem like the other overlanders... why don't you join us? We're heading to the summer festival in Mobotropolis." Walt says.  
"Mobotropolis? It still stands?" he asks, very surprised.  
"Yeah.... it was liberated a few months ago by Sonic and Sally..." Walt replies.  
"Last i heard, it was conquered in the Great War...." The elderly man replies.  
"That was twenty years ago! Man, you've been out here way too long without contact! We'll fill you in on the way." Duck Bill speaks.  
"Alright. Let's go, young'uns." the elderly man smiles.

The plane quickly takes off and is soon in the air once more.  
"We should introduce ourselves... we're the Downunda Freedom Fighters. This is Barby, I'm Walt, that's Guru Emu, and these two cheerful blokes are Wombat Stu and Duck "Bill" Platypus." Walt explains.  
"It's very nice to meet you all. I'm Nate Morgan." the elderly man replies.  
"How old are ya?" Wombat stu asks, being the inquisitive youngest member of the DFF.  
"STU! That is incredibly rude!" Barby replies.  
Nate simply laughs upon hearing this.  
"That's quite alright. My age surprises everyone, though. I'm one hundred fouteen years young. While I don't get around as much as I used to, arthritis and all, I still do everything myself." He replies.

After a few minutes, he breaks the silence.  
"You know, I didn't know what to think when I heard your plane's engine above my house. After all...I don't get many visitors on "Just Enough Room Island"..." He speaks.  
"Quite an appropriate name... but why live out here by yourself? How long have you been living out here?" Barby asks.  
"Well... It started before the Great War, when I was a ddoctor who worked for the Royal Government. I left for personal reasons when I saw that tensions were rising. I decided to just live on my own and built my home on that little island." He explains.

The small airplane flies through the night and into the next morning, approaching Mobotropolis Airport from the southeast. It lands without incident at the airport, and comes to a stop on the runway.

--- Possibly cut or move to later chapter.  
Within Freedom HQ Mobotropolis, Rotor, Tails, Snively, and Sally are working in Rotor's laboratory. The walrus had an idea on how to allow NICOLE project herself in the real world, instead of being confined to her circuitry.  
The walrus is gently unscrewing the case on NICOLE, while Snively hooks up the power amplifier.

"Guys, please be careful. NICOLE is very fragile and sensitive." Sally says.  
"Don't worry, Sally. I would never harm NICOLE. Tails, is everything hooked up normally?" He asks.  
"Yeah. Snively's ready to let the power flow." Tails replies.  
"Do it." Rotor replies, as Snively turns the power amplifier on.

NICOLE begins to glow, and her screen begins to project a three-dimensional holographic image. Everyone in the room is silent as NICOLE enters the physical world for the first time.

"So this is what the real world is like? It's wonderful." She says.  
"I'm surprised this actually works, guys. There's so much for you to experience in the world, Nicole." Sally replies.

The freedom fighters walk down the street for another fun day at the carnival, when Tails sees some old friends. He runs up and hugs them.

"Walt! Barby! You guys made it! It's so great to see you guys!" He says as he hugs them.  
"Sally, Bunnie... I'd like you to meet my friends, the Downunda Freedom Fighters." Tails says as he introduces the two freedom fighter groups.  
"I'm glad you guys could come. Now, all of the freedom fighter groups on my father's list are present. We can finally thank each other for the help we gave to each other during the battle for freedom." Sally speaks.

The princess stops when she sees Nate Morgan. She has not seen him since she was five years old.  
"Nate? Is that you???" She asks.  
"Indeed it is, Princess. I see you've grown into a smart and beautiful young lady." He says.  
"Hey, Sal... you know this guy?" Sonic asks.  
"Sonic, he was my tutor before the Great War, like Julayla and Rosie." She replies.  
"That was a long time ago. I've been living in hiding since. How is your father? Is he still alive? And your Uncle Chuck, Sonic?" He asks.  
"Yeah, they're both alive... Uncle Chuck's still a robot, but he has his mind back." He explains.  
"It's good to see things are almost back to normal. I bet I could work on restoring people back to their old selves

After getting caught up with old friends, Sally reveals her father's plans for the country. She unfolds the map and lays it flat on the table for all to see. Lupe, Walt, and the Freedom Fighters are present. Within the country of Mobius, are smaller areas.

"Why isn't Downunda listed on the map? We've been loyal to the king for decades." Walt asks.  
"My father's rewarding Downunda with independence, if you want it." Sally replies.  
"Who will lead us then?" Barby asks.  
"I will." Tails says, silencing everyone with surprise.  
"Why move Downunda, though?" Sonic asks.  
"When I battled Croc-Bot and was injured, Barby and Walt helped me, and I need to repay their kindness. I'll rebuild their nation into a glorious one." Tails replies.  
"We're gonna miss ya, big guy." Sonic says, scritching his ears.  
"I know. I'll miss you guys too, but we'll stay in touch and visit." Tails replies.  
"What are these other locations?" Walt asks, placing a finger next to the word "Pridelands". Barby asks.  
"Father thought it would be nice for each species to have its own "homeland", or province, as a way of reducing tensions between the furs." Sally explains.

Feist the supernatural panda watches this meeting through his portal within the Hidden Palace Zone. The large panda keeps a close eye on Tails.  
"You, my two-tailed friend, are the chosen one. Genra and I will help you and your friends save the world." He says to himself.

Something makes the panda freeze, rocking him to his very core. He closes his eyes and tries to think about what could send shivers down HIS spine.  
"Genra, did you feel that?" He asks.

The kitsune appears in front of him, teleporting to the Hidden Palace Zone.  
"I did." He speaks.  
"Do you know what it is?" Feist asks.  
"I do. They've returned sooner than I had expected, and they shall soon be here." He replies.  
"Who are we going up against?" He asks.  
"Something far more terrible than Robotnik himself could ever do." Genra replies. "Take my hand, dear friend. I will show you what we are up against."

Genra holds Feist's paw in his own. The panda's eyes open wide, as he sees a large fleet of starships cruising through deep space at light speed, surrounding a large flagship. Their target is Mobius, and they are using the stars, and Mobius' own television and radio transmissions to zero-in on the planet from four light-years away. There are easily enough for an invasion, but they plan on doing something far more efficient. The Mandaras plan on mining every resource the planet can offer. Its water, minerals, soil, and atmosphere... even its CORE of solid iron and nickel will be entirely mined, as they did to countless worlds before, and how they tried and failed with Mobius in the past. They come back with a vengance, with ten times the numbers, intent on succeeding this time.  
"No... oh, god no..." He says to himself.  
"We don't have much time, Feist. They will be here in four years, and you know how fast time flies." Genra says.  
"W-what do we do?" Feist asks.  
"We start training the freedom fighters. If they knew what they were going to fight against, they may either back down, panic, or become frightened and unable to perform as well as they can." Genra speaks "I have an idea. We train them without them knowing what it's truly for until after their powers have fully developed. This way, we'll all stand a chance of survival." Feist replies.

A storm front moves in over the Mobotropolis skyline. The buildings' lights glow and flash in the darkness, as thunder echoes against the skyscrapers, and lighting strikes the lightning rods on the tallest of the skyscrapers. Rotor stands in front of the window of his bedroom overlooking the harbour as the storm rolls in. The thunderclaps get progressively louder and the lightning gets more powerful as it arcs across the sky. One particularly LOUD thunderclap wakes the freedom fighters from their nighttime slumber. Sally is jolted from her bed by it.

"NICOLE, what was that?" She asks.  
"It seems to be an electrical storm, Sally." Her handheld computer replies.  
"Can you tell where it is coming from?" She asks.  
"Checking... unknown source, Sally." NICOLE replies.

Another thunderclap rocks the city, and Tails is awakened and frightened right out of his bed, landing on the floor. His fall wakes up Sonic.

"OOF! Oh..." Tails says to himself as he gets back up, somewhat drowsy.  
"Whoa... you alright, lil' bro?" Sonic asks.  
"Yeah... Just fell out of b--" Tails replies, before another thunderclap and lightning bolt occur.

This frightens the fox to bits and he jumps up onto Sonic, clutching tightly to him.  
"Oh no... I'm afraid of lightning!" He yelps, hugging Sonic tightly.  
"It's alright, Tails. We're safe in here." The blue-furred hedgehog replies.

Tails climbs down off of Sonic and the two furs walk into the living room of their complex, soon joined by Bunnie and Sally.

"Hello, ladies. Were you woken up from your sleep, too?" Sonic asks.  
"Yeah, sugah-hog. I don't even know how this storm came up so fast... looked calm when we went to bed." Bunnie replies as she rubs her eyes.  
"I hear ya. It's like the Forbidden Zone moved in here, with us..." Sonic replies, scritching an itch on his ear.  
"NICOLE can't seem to pinpoint the source of this storm..." Sally says.  
"Could it be Ixis Naugus?" Rotor asks as he walks in from his bedroom.  
"Nah. That would be too stupid of a move for him to make. He knows we'd have him taken down and thrown back into the void in no time." Sonic replies.

As another thunderclap startles the Freedom Fighters, Tails looks a bit closer at the window. He thinks he sees something.

"What do you see, Tails?" Sonic asks.  
"Those clouds look weird... almost like a face..." Tails replies, walking out onto the balcony.

As Tails walks out onto the balcony, the lightning and thunder stop. He sees a large face portruding from the clouds, almost like a panda's.  
"What on earth is sugah-Tails doin' outside in this storm?" Bunnie asks, seeing Tails standing on the balcony.

He watches as the clouds clearly develop into a face. Feist speaks to the Freedom Fighters.  
"Freedom Fighters... Gather everyone in the park at sunrise. I will meet you there." He speaks.

"Who was that?" Bunnie and Sally ask.  
"It was Feist. He's a supernatural panda. He's the spirit guardian of Mobius." Tails explains.  
"What do you think he wants?" Rotor asks.  
"I dunno. But it must be big if he needs us for somethin'." Sonic replies.  
"NICOLE, please display all your information on Feist." Sally speaks.  
"Working, Sally." her computer replies. "Feist is a supernatural panda. He was the guardian spirit of the Great Forest, but was cast into the void by Ixis Naugus." NICOLE replies.  
"So, is he a good guy or a bad guy?" Bunnie asks.  
"I think he's on our side, but I'll be cautious around him until I know for sure." Sally replies.

As the starfleet travels through hyperspace, they approach the Lylat System.  
"Sir, hould we begin deceleration when we approach the gravitational field of Sol?" The navigator asks this commander.  
"Yes, but gradually. When we are within one light-year, exit hyperspace, and set all weapons to ACTIVE at one half light-year's distance." Asellus explains.  
"Understood." The navigator speaks.


	15. Chapter 15

Mobian Legends

Story is (c) 2004-2008 John CoonFox, SethLeopard, and SallyGirl  
SatAM Sonic characters are (c) 1992-1994 DiC Entertainment  
Archie characters are (c) 1993-2008 Archie Comics Publications  
Sonic The Hedgehog is (c) Sega/Sonic Team 1990-2007  
Snively Fox is (c) "Spug" ("spug at dirtybaka dot com")  
Bookshire Stormfire Draftwood is (c) 1994-2008 "Serinthia and Bookshire Draftwood" ("serinthia at foxcoon dot com")

SatAM Research and story: SallyGirl  
Chief Writer: MetaLeopard  
Writer: John CoonFox

- - - - - -  
Timeline: June 27-28, 3241 - Early Summer  
- - - - - -

Chapter 14 - The Test

"So, Sonic actually proposed to ya, Sally-girl?" Bunnie asks as she walks with her friend.  
"He sure did, Bunnie. It was so romantic, too. I didn't think Sonic could organize it the way he did..." She sighs.  
"Where did he propose?" Bunnie wonders.  
"The ferris wheel, during the fireworks display." Sally replies.  
"How romantic... that lil' ol' sugah-hog loves ya, Sally. I bet he's gonna make you very happy." She says.  
"Yeah. Usually, he's brash, and impatient, but he's also very sweet..." Sally says, walking into the park with Bunnie.

She sees the other freedom fightes are waiting there. Present are Sonic, Sally, Tails, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, Lupe, Knuckles, Walt, and Barby.

"Why did Feist want us all here?" Sally asks Sonic and Bunnie.  
"I'll explain." Feist speaks as he appears in a puff of smoke in the clearing.

"Gahh! You startled me!" Bunnie yelps.  
"That was not my intention, I assure you." He replies. "The reason i called you forth was to train you."  
"Train us? For what?" Sonic asks, stretching his legs.  
"I... Genra and I think its best to train you to fully develop your powers, so when the time comes, you can save the world from a terrible catastrophe." He speaks.  
"What could be worse than Robotnik? He nearly killed us off." Lupe asks.  
"Wait, how do we know we can trust you?" Sally asks.  
"You can trust me because your father relied on my help within the void. I defended him from Ixis Naugus." Feist speaks to Princess Sally. "I am actually quite glad that you question what you do not know, Princess. You are wise beyond your years."

Feist then holds out his closed fist for Sally.  
"I thik this will prove I'm trustworthy, Princess." He speaks.

As the princess opens his hand, the royal symbol on a gold medallion is revealed.  
"I'm doing this because I'm loyal to you and your kingdom, and I will do what I can to protect both." He speaks.

"What are we going to do?" Tails asks.  
"I want you to train in my special zone. While you will compete with each other as separate groups, you are all still on the same team, and I will have you go through many different environments and scenarios to challenge you and push you to your very limits." He speaks.  
"How long is this gonna take?" Sonic asks, tapping his foot impatiently.  
"It will take as long as needed. Since you already have two of the Chaos Emeralds, I will give the winning team my remaining four emeralds and fifty power rings that i possess." He speaks.

"FIFTY rings??? We're in!" Sonic says.  
"Where are we going? Are planes allowed?" Rotor asks.  
"You must travel on foot, and bring only the clothes you wear." Feist speaks.  
"How will we know if we are on the right track towards your zone?" Tails asks.  
"I will guide you. Follow my icon." Feist speaks, showing them a stylized holographic panda icon, floating above his open palm.

Feist draws a line in the dirt as the starting line. The Freedom Fighters step up to it.

"GO!" Feist shouts, watching as the freedom fighters take off, with Sonic leaving them all far behind.

Sonic and his friends run closely together, with Sally at his side, Tails above, and Bunnie behind, with Rotor.  
"Sonic, we're headed for the Great Unknown, and we don't have any shielding or protection!" Tails speaks as he flies above Sonic.  
"I know. Gotta think of something...." He speaks to himself as the Great Unknown gets closer and closer with each passing second.

As Walt hops farther behind, he can still see the faint dust trail left behind the hedgehog.  
"He's goin' right for the Great Unknown..." Walt speaks.  
"The Great Unknown? They'll be fried by the lightning there!" Barby says.  
"Maybe not. I haven't seen the Knothole Freedom Fighters in action, but if they can bring down Robotnik by themselves, they can certainly survive that." Walt replies.

Sonic stops right on the edge of the Great Unknown.  
"What now, sugah-hog?" Bunnie asks.  
"Hmm...." He thinks to himself, tapping his foot.  
"I hope you guys aren't afraid of the dark." Sonic speaks as he jumps up and curls into a ball.

As the blue-furred hedgehog hits the ground, he spins. His spikes begin scraping out chunks of dirt, quickly creating a tunnel a few feet deep. The hedgehog digs a tunnel straight under the great unknown, big enough for his friends to crawl through. He keeps going for a couple miles, until he decides to spin up towards the surface. He sees he's cleared it, and spin-dashes back through the tunnel.

"It's all cool, guys." He says, leading the Freedom Fighters through the tunnel.

As the Freedom Fighters crawl through the tunnel, they wonder where Feist plans on sending them.

"I am creating a portal for you straight ahead, Freedom Fighters. Just keep going." Feist tells them.

Sonic leads his friends forward, running across the barren desert floor. As they approach the bright portal, they stop and sheild their eyes.  
"Is this were were are supposed to go?" Walt asks Sonic and Lupe.  
"It seems so. Who should cross it first?" Lupe asks.  
"No one. We scan it first to see where it goes." Sally says, aiming NICOLE at the portal.

"NICOLE, scan the portal. Where does it come out?" She asks.  
"Working Sally...." NICOLE speaks, processing and scanning. "The Portal is linked to the Special Zone, where Feist resides. The Special Zone is similar to the Void, but not evil and does not cause ill effects."

"So it's safe to enter... alright, let's go." Sally speaks, walking in first.

The freedom fighters walk in, but find themselves in a colourless, featureless white landscape.

"Everyone, stay still and calm. Remember which way you came in." Sally speaks.  
"It's alright. I won't let you get lost in my domain." Feist's' voice booms and echoes in the Special Zone.  
"It's empty... is it always like this?" Sonic asks.

"Yes. I prefer a "clean slate" to my environment. Basic purity." Feist explains, materializing in front of them. "However, all white seems a bit boring and unstimulating..."

Feist claps his hands together, and his zone instantly comes to life, turning into a lush tropical rainforest.  
"Whoa... how'd you do that???" Sonic asks.

"Simple. I'm a supernatural being." Feist speaks. "Just like you. We merely need to develop your powers."

"W-what are you gonna do to us?" Tails asks.

"You are to meditate and concentrate on levitating things. You have very little time." Feist speaks.

The supernatural panda guides the Freedom Fighters into two main teams, and teaches them how to engage in combat, both armed and unarmed.

He hands Sonic and Sally a pair of longswords, and teaches them how to properly use them and defend themselves.

"Alright, you two. You need to train with these swords." He speaks as Sonic and Sally approach each other.

The loud sharp clang of metal pierces the air as Sally and Sonic begin training. Sally manages to thrust her sword at Sonic, but he is able to block and hold her off.

"Are we in any danger? We could get hurt or killed..." Sonic asks, slashing his sword at Sally, only to be met with a block.  
"If you are hurt, I will instantly heal you. As long as you train within my zone, I can heal you with my powers." Feist replies.

Sally and Sonic continue to fight, with Sally using her sword to block and parry.  
"When... is this over?" Sonic asks, panting slightly.  
"It's over... when one of us... loses our swords..." Sally replies, knowing from experience and training as a child.  
She thrusts her sword at Sonic, who manages to deflect. She thrusts once more, and Sonic loses his grip on his sword, placing the tip towards his neck.  
"Game over, Sonic." She says, before sticking her sword in the ground.

"Excellent. You two are doing well." Feist speaks to them.  
"Thanks. I thought we'd be doing a race around the world." Sonic replies.  
"You will, Sonic. When your training is complete, you will be racing around the world. Now, I must move on to Tails and Knuckles." Feist walks towards the two-tailed fox and red-furred echidna.

They are concentrating and meditating on a pair of white pillows. Feist instructs them to start aiming their concentration upon a set of heavy boulders. The rocks start to shake and quiver, and begin levitating above the ground.  
"You two are doing well. With your abilities, you will defend the planet well." He speaks, watching as the others are sparring together.  
He continues and teaches them to use their telekinetic powers to their fullest abilities, by levitating objects, and manipulating them.

He watches as Rotor, and Lupe, Versus Walt and Barby, are sparring in a martial-arts training lesson.  
"You four seem to hold your own very well. You are already a force to be reckoned with." He speaks, coming upon Antoine.

"Antoine, what goals do you hope to achieve in this zone?" Feist asks.  
"I-I wanted to impress and defend the object of my affection... Bunnie Rabbot." He says, somewhat afraid of the panda in front of him.  
"I see. Antoine, you need more confidence and bravery. I will simulate something for you." Feist replies, teleporting himself and Antoine into a large room.

Feist snaps his fingers, and a bunch of Swatbots appear, surrounding them. Antoine starts to panic.  
"Don't panic. Antoine, this should be easy for you. They can be taken down by you, and you know how to do it." Feist speaks to the cowering coyote.  
"B-b-but zey are so much biggair zan I am..." Antoine stammers.  
"Hmm... this poor lad needs some motivation..." He thinks to himself.  
He snaps his fingers again, and Bunnie approaches them.  
"Bunnie, I will need your help in training with Antoine. Are you willing?" He asks.  
"Sho' ah am, sugah." She replies.  
"Good. This will be brief. Antoine will rescue you, Bunnie." He replies, snapping his fingers. She's teleported into a cage chained to the ceiling.  
"Antoine... Bunnie's been captured by Robotnik, and she's going to be roboticized if you don't save her. Only you have the power to do so." He tells the coyote.  
"W-what?" Antoine asks, with his eyes going wide in disbelief.  
"I WILL DESTROY 'IM! NO ONE WILL HARM A HAIR ON HER!" He growls, grasping his sword.  
The coyote leaps forward, decapitating several swatbots, who then fall to the ground, deactivated. The others approach him, and he stabs them repeatedly, before leaping up towards the cage. He grasps a hold on the bars, hanging on to it.  
"Bunnie! I am here to free you!" He speaks to her.  
"Aww, sugah-'twan... I knew you would." She smiles, petting his ears through the bars.  
He looks around and finds the cage is locked.  
"Oh no... I don't have zee key..." he speaks.  
He then remembers his sword. He shoves it into the lock, twists it, and the cage door opens.  
"Let's go, sugah." She speaks, hugging him with one arm as she leaps down to safety with him.

Antoine and Bunnie look around at all the destruction Antoine caused in saving Bunnie.  
As the rabbit looks around her small surroundings, Feist approaches Antoine.  
"That was great. You didn't know your own strength and bravery, did you?" Feist asks Antoine.  
"N-n-no... but I would do anything for Bunnie." He says, hugging her tightly.  
"True love can make you do brave things, in spite of risk and danger, Antoine." Bunnie says, kissing his nose, making the coyote blush profusely.

Feist walks over to observe Rotor, who is testing the properties of the zone with some small gadgets he brought.  
"Rotor, your intelligence amazes me." He speaks.  
"Wha? Oh! Feist... sorry about that. I didn't see you there." The walrus replies.  
"It's alright. You are one of only a few mobians that have the intelligence to bring down enemies like Robotnik.

A few days of training go by, when Feist calls them over.  
"You freedom fighters are now ready to face any obstacle ahead of you. I just hope you do not have to fight for your lives again. You deserve peace and quiet." He speaks.

"Thanks, Feist. We won't let ya down." Sonic says as a portal back to Knothole opens behind them.  
The panda spirit waves his friends off, with Genra approaching him from behind.  
"Do you think they really have what it takes to defeat the Mandaras?" Genra asks.  
"Honestly... I don't think so. They're brave and experienced, but the Mandaras have power and numbers, not to mention technology..." Feist replies.

The Sun is glowing and shining brightly over the Great Forest. Music is playing from Rotor's stereo, while Uncle Chuck cooks his classic chili-dogs.

Sonic and Tails are playing a game of frisbee with Antoine and Rotor. Sonic winds up and lets the frisbee fly. Rotor holds his hand over his eyes to shield it from the sun as he watches the frisbee soar through the trees nearly a mile away.

"I'll get it!" Tails says as he jumps into the air and flies, using his twin tails like helicopter blades.

Sally and Bunnie watch the boys play from their huts, sitting on Sally's stairs.

"You know, sugah-sal, it was a great idea to vacation here for a few days. It's just like old times." Bunnie sighs, reminescing of their glory days when they fought Robotnik.  
"I agree. It's a bit odd that we don't have to fight a war against a tyrant..." Sally speaks.  
"Of course it would feel odd, Sally. We spent our childhoods fighting that man, but now, we can relax and live." She smiles.  
"I know..." She says.  
"Sally, somethin's on yer mind. What is it?" Bunnie inquires.  
"Well... it's about my wedding to Sonic..." Sally replies.  
"You want to back out of it?" Bunnie asks.  
"No no... I want to go through with it. I just don't know what would be a good place to have it." She speaks.  
"Why not just have it here? All your friends are present." Bunnie speaks.  
"You know, that's a great idea. Of course, I would need a bride's maid." Sally says, placing her hand on Bunnie's shoulder.  
"I would love to be your lil' ol' bride's maid, Sally." She speaks.  
"I just wonder who Sonic wants as a first man." Sally wonders.  
"Can you just imagine it being Tails. Sugah-Tails would look SOOOO cute!" Bunnie sighs, picturing Tails in a tuxedo as he walks down the aisle with Sally.

The flying fox returns within minutes, with the frisbee.

"Don't throw it so hard, Sonic... we can't run as fast and as far as you." Tails says, passing the frisbee to Rotor.  
"Go long, Antoine!" He says, tossing it through the air to his friend.

Antoine jumps into the air and catches the frisbee.

"Sonic! Freedom Fighters! Dinner is served!" Uncle Chuck calls as he turns the grill off.  
"Alright! There's nothin' better than a good ol' chili-dog, unc!" Sonic says, running over.

Soon, the Freedom Fighters are eating a nice, filling meal, cooked up by Uncle Chuck.

"Where did your race take ya? Was it a success?" Uncle Chuck asks Sonic and Sally.  
"It was a runaway success. We ran through every part of Mobius, and passed all of Feist's tests. He claims we're now ready to face anything that tries to start trouble." Sonic says.  
"That's great to hear." Chuck replies.

As sunset falls, Sonic yawwwns loudly and stretches.  
"I'm tired, guys. I'm gonna hit the hay." He speaks as he gets up.

Sally soon follows him, and they walk towards her hut together.

"Has Sonic ever spent the night in Sally's hut?" Tails asks.  
"Not that I remember, but when you propose, I think that changes everything." Rotor replies.  
"Ahh... I think it's best if no one disturbs them tonight..." Bunnie speaks, blushing a bit as she sees Sally turn the lights off in her hut.  
"Why's that, aunt Bunnie?" Tails asks.  
"Well... I think it's time you had "the talk"... and Rotor's the perfect guy to explain it..." She pats him on the back.  
"Gee, thanks..." He says softly, walking with Tails back towards the twin-tailed fox's hut.

After a few minutes of explaining one of mother nature's natural occurances, Rotor and Bunnie stand up and start walking towards their huts, tired as well, with a very confused Tails walking quickly towards his own hut.

High above Mobius, Robotnik is meditating within his space station. As he orbits the planet, he remembers a long-lost project of his. He walks down the hall towards the cryostasis room and checks the read-outs on the computers. Everything is normal. He presses the "DRAIN" button to awaken his creation.

"I cannot believe that I had forgotten about you, my most-prized creation. It was shortly after the Great War began... I created you as a super-soldier to kill the humans, but I never got a chance, becuase that miserable cretin, King Acorn, used nuclear weapons to defeat the enemy and end the war. I placed you in cryogenic storage and hoped I would get the chance to use you when that miserable hedgehog started messing up my plans. I was smart enough to give you upgrades when he was injured in my slave labour camp in East Mobius. I studied the hedgehog's genetics and skills for months. I created you and modified you from my existing robotic technology, and the hedgehog's abilities within the blood i captured from him. I will use you to destroy him. Awaken, Shadow the Hedgehog." He speaks.

The cryogenic chamber opens, and mist floods the room. Robotnik coughs and waves his hand to clear the air.  
"Who are you?" Shadow asks "I'm Doctor Robotnik. I am your creator." Robotnik replies.  
"I see. Where am I?" He asks.  
"This is the Robotnik Space Station, two hundred twenty kilometers above the surface of Mobius." Robotnik explains.

The hedgehog is somewhat confused.

"Your purpose in life is to kill Sonic the Hedgehog. No matter what I did to roboticize or kill that stupid rodent, it never seemed to work. Even Metal Sonic was destroyed by him. You had better succeed where they have failed, Shadow." He tells him.

"I will fulfill your orders and destroy Sonic the Hedgehog." Shadow vows as he walks into the airlock. Robotnik sends him down to Mobius in one of the escape capsules, watching as the heat shield starts to burn up in its atmosphere.  
"You are as good as DEAD, hedgehog!" Robotnik growls.

Upon landing, Shadow immediately runs towards Mobotropolis, refusing to sleep for three days as he runs. When he arrives, he sees a Royal jet flying overhead, towards the Great Forest, and follows it.

The day of the wedding.  
"Bunnie, I'm so nervous... I don't know if I'm ready to go through with this..." Sally says, as Bunnie checks her wedding dress for any rips or tears.  
"Sally-girl, I know you'll be fine. It's just pre-weddin' jitters. I wouldn't worry much about it. Besides, Sonic's probably as nervous as you are." She says as she straightens her dress slightly.  
"I know. I just hope I'm ready." She says.  
"I know you are. I know Sonic is, too." Bunnie replies.

"Rote, I'm freakin' out a bit... I mean, is Sally willing to be with me for the rest of our lives?" Sonic asks, very nervous as he paces the dressing room.  
"She wouldn't have agreed if she wasn't willing and ready, Sonic. She loves ya." Rotor replies.  
"Besides, Sonic... if you were able to defeat Robotnik... you should be able to go through with this..." Antoine speaks.  
"You're right. Time to bite the bullet and go." Sonic speaks, as he straightens his tie.

Sonic steps out of his hut and walks towards the Gazeebo as the Freedom Fighters gather and sit down in the chairs placed in front of the gazebo. He shakes Merlin Prower's hand, and waits patiently for Sally. Sonic looks around to see where everyone's sitting.

"I see Lupe.... Walt... Uncle Chuck... Rotor... Sal's dad isn't here... neither are Tails or Bunnie..." Sonic thinks to himself.

Sonic can hear a whirring noise coming in from a distance. The Freedom Fighters look around for the source of the sound, when the King's royal airplane approaches the meadow from above the treeline. It comes to a complete stop and hovers, slowly lowering itself towards the ground. A few seconds later, the machine is silent, and the King steps out with a few of his guards.

"Sire! It's great you could make it!" Sonic says, waving from the gazebo.  
"Sonic, I would not miss this for anything." King Max replies as he walks to the back of the rows of chairs.

Sally then steps out of her hut with Bunnie, and walks towards the aisle. King Max meets up with her and walks her towards the aisle, with Bunnie following close behind. Sally approaches the gazeebo and steps into it, with Sonic and Merlin.

"Sally, you look way-past beautiful." Sonic says to his fiancee.  
"Likewise, Sonic the handsome hedgehog." She replies.

"I take it we are ready to begin?" Merlin asks politely.  
"Sure!" Sonic says, a bit excitedly, blushing.

As Merlin starts saying the wedding vows, they drain away into an echoing silence, with the only thing on his mind being the love of his life, Sally. He holds her hands within his own, looking into her eyes.

"Princess Sally, do you take Sonic to be your husband?" Merlin ask sally.  
"Yes, I do." She replies.

Sonic is still in a daze as Merlin asks him a question.

"Sir Sonic of Knothole, do you take Sally to be your wife?" Merlin asks.  
"Uhh... yeah.... I, Sally take Sonic to be my husband..." Sonic says, very shy and confused.

Sonic's face turns deep red as he blushes, realizing what he said. Merlin and the Freedom Fighters laugh his little faux-pas.

"I mean, I take Sally to be my wife." Sonic says.  
"Do you have your wedding rings?" Merlin asks.  
"Yeah, right here... Antoine, pass the rings, please." Sonic says.

As Antoine passes the rings to Sonic, he drops one and it rolls along the gazeebo, down its steps, and onto the grass. Everyone's eyes are on that little golden band as it comes to a stop at the shoes of a black-furred hedgehog. The hedgehog looks straight at Sonic, then down at the ring. He picks it up and starts walking towards the gazebo.

"Hey, this is a private wedding. You can't just--" Knuckles tries to tell Shadow, before being pushed out of the way.  
"Who are you?" Sonic asks.  
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog. Your wedding's now become a funeral." The black-furred hedgehog speaks as he raises his hand, lifting Sonic into the air with his telekinetic powers.

As Sonic grasps around his neck, kicking and clawing at the air, Knuckles runs up from behind, flips himself upside down, and kicks Shadow in the head, causing the black-furred hedgehog to fall to the ground. His grip on Sonic is released, and the hedgehog falls to the floor of the gazebo.

"You mess with Sonic, and you mess with all of us." Knuckles tells him.  
"I see I'll simply have to let the hedgehog watch me kill all of you first." He speaks, launching himself at Knuckles.

The echidna shields himself from Shadow's slashings and punches, returning just as well as he recieves. He watches as Shadow tries to shield himself from his Knuckle-Punch attack. The black-furred hedgehog concentrates and starts to glow.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" he yells, freezing time for everyone but him, and proceeds to attack Knuckles with lightning-quick punches and kicks, with the echidna trying to block in slow motion.

"I gotta do somethin', Sal." Sonic says, watching as Shadow moves in a blurred motion, from his intense speed.  
"You do what you need to do, Sonic." Sally speaks to him.  
Sonic immediately leaps into action.

"Hey, faker! If you have a problem with me, just come to me and leave my friends alone!" Sonic demands.  
"Fair enough." Shadow speaks, walking towards him.

"How are you moving so quickly? You must have a chaos emerald..." Sonic says.  
"Chaos emerald? Congratulations... my secret's out. Not that it will help you." Shadow smirks.  
"Well, then... why don't we have a little bit of fun?" Sonic grins, running off into the forest, with shadow following close behind.

Shadow quickly turns and runs after Sonic, still boosted by the time slowing effects, leaving everyone else at the wedding in confusion before the effect wears off of them from Shadow's increased distance.

"What the heck was that?" Tails looks around as things return to normal, only hesistating a moment before using a burst of energy to hurl himself into air, following the two hedgehogs using his latest method to shoot him through the air much faster than his normal tailspin.

The two-tailed fox slowly catches up to the runners, Sonic hot on the heels of the other. Tails suddenly starts to feel the slowing effect encompassing him from the chaos aura around them. He growls in desperation as he starts falling away from them again from the strange effects.

"This is it... it's time to show them what I can really do. He's not getting away with ruining one of MY friend's weddings!" He suddenly crys out and a strange clap of power echos through the forest almost like thunder as he changes forms, all of his fur suddenly glowing a golden color.

Sonic looks up to the sudden noise in a bit of a shock, slowing down suddenly. Shadow hesistanting a bit himself as he looks back to see the golden fox suddenly rapidly soaring up to him, the effect of Tails release power enough to totally nullify the emerald's slowing effect. The fox does a sonic dive into the black hedgehog, smashing him into the soil of the ground with a loud crash.

Shadow cries out in a bit of sudden pain as his body creates a short trench in the ground before coming to a stop, the fox's paws pressed firmly against his shoulders. The hedgehog looks back, his face scratched up and bleeding in multiple places.

"Wh...what the?" Shadow mumbles in astonishment as he sees the other above him.  
"I'll let you up... but you'd better get lost!" Tails commands down to him.  
"Okay, okay! I'll go... let me up!" Shadow speaks in mock desperation.

Tails jumps off of the black hedgehog and dusts off his paws and crosses his arms as he watches the hedgehog stumble back up to his feet and runs off into the distance. Sonic comes up to Tails' side.

"Woah, that was way cool bro!" Sonic adds as he looks to the glowing fox.  
"Ehh, he had it coming..." He says before drawing a deep breath and letting the glow fade.  
"Oh man... we gotta get back to the wedding!" Sonic says in a moment of realization before immediately dashing back to the knothole, Tails soon following.

Soon after they both reappear at the ceremony site, some looking a bit shaken from before but everything otherwise seems calm.

"Now, where were we before the interruption?" Sonic asks, stoping for a moment to pick up the ring he had previously dropped.  
"I believe you were about to say your 'I Do-s'." Knuckles replies, walking with Sonic back to the gazeebo.

Tails sits back into his seat, Sally waiting calmly for Sonic as he walks back up and retakes his place beside her.  
"Ahem... Do you take Sally as your wife, Sonic?" Merlin asks.  
"Yeah, I do." He replies with a smile "And do you take Sonic as your husband, Sally?" The older fox asks the princess.  
"Of coruse I do." she replies, returning a bright smile of her own.  
"Then I pronounce you two as husband and wife." He speaks.

Sonic and Sally kiss each other as the Freedom Fighters cheer. The joyful moment short lived as as soon as the others began moving from their chairs, a loud yell out anger echoes around them. Tails suddenly jumps up and looks behind them, stepping out into the aisle, perking his ears. Knuckles, Walt and Lupe all follow similarly.

"Is that what I think it is?" Lupe mentions as she points out an errie red aura in the distance.  
"Yeah, it's him, he's coming back!" Knuckles growls, lifting his fists.  
The combined crowd standing in awe before Shadow suddenly reappers before them, teeth clenched and encased in an aura of ominous glowing red.

"Idiot! How dare you show back up here!" Knuckles shouts before dashing toward him, spiked fist readied for the strike.  
"Knuckles, NO!" Tails cries out, falling on deaf ears.

Knuckles lands a perfect blow to the face of Shadow, who absorbs it like immovable stone, not even giving a flench. Knuckles giving a startled face of amazement before getting backhanded hard enough to send him flying into a tree, leaving him half-way embedded in it.

"Hands off, filthy insect!" Shadow says before looking to the others that stand in front of him. Sonic quickly runs down out of the gazebo to join the others.

"I thought we told you to beat it!?" Sonic shouts angrily.  
"I knew it... that's no normal hedgehog." Tails says.

"Hmmph, how nice of you to notice... the emerald is far more advantagous for me than you morons could ever understand. The drop you had on me before was the only chance you had and you were foolish enough to let me go." He says with crossed arms before adding "Now get out of the way... Sonic dies here, anyone that gets in the way will be crushed all the same!"

The final words spoken before Shadow cups his paws together, a sudden brilliant light forming between his paws. Tails immediately recognizes what's going on and looks to the others around him. "Everybody, get out of here, NOW! Sonic, you have to get Sally and Max out of here... this place is about to turn into a war zone!"

"What, are you kidding? I'm gonna take care of this guy myself!" Sonic replies, ready to fight.  
"No! You have to go too, I don't think even you can deal with this guy, he's way too powerful... trust me!" Tails replies back as the others begin to flee, Sally already gathering with her father, Antoine and the guards present to move on.  
"Sonic, come on! We have to trust him! Remember what happened in the Special Zone..." Sally shouts to him.  
Sonic looks to Tails. "Okay... do whatever you have to do, I'll take care of Sal." He runs back up to the others as they run quickly out to the royal jet.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Shadow growls out in anger before suddenly lobbing the strange ball of light out toward the jet plane. Tails suddenly powers back up into his glowing state and jumps in front of the blast, which soon explodes around the fox... giving the jet just enough time to close up and power away from the ground.

"What... NO!!" Shadow cries out in desperation as he begins to charge up another blast, aiming it up toward the retreating craft. Tails walks out from the smoke left by the blast unscathed and stands up in front of him.

"No way, forget about it. I don't know what you're problem is, but you're not getting Sonic... this time or ever." Shadow lets the ball fade and clenches his fists, growling at the glowing fox angrily.

"You... I can't believe it... you made me fail my mission." The hedgehog says with a snarl as he strikes out at Tails with lightning speed. Tails responding in kind, blocking the blow equally with his paw. Shadow retorts immediately after with a kick to Tails' hip which he spins around, avoiding while simultaneously wrapping his twin tails around the other's leg.

"Gotcha." Tails says with a smirk flinging the hedgehog around like a puppet on a string, smashing him into the ground nearby in several different places before giving a quick spin, suddenly releasing the grip in time to send the other smashing through the gazebo and completely through a large tree behind it.

The fox wastes no time immediately running up the downed hedgehog and placing a foot firmly against his neck.

"Give up, Shadow... you'll need more than chaos power and a few clever tricks to beat me." Shadow hesistates a bit before mumbling out "Ch...aaa...ooss...con...troo...lll." Below him, which soon causes the hedgehog to vanish out from beneath him, foot now rested on the ground. Tails blinks and looks around him as the other is suddenly gone.

The glowing fox looks all around the forest, trying to see him or pick up traces of the other's power with his senses. He walks around for a few moment, hearing nothing but odd quiet of the forest before letting his power fade and return to normal, stopping a moment to view the damage done to area before giving a sigh.

"Bastard's gone... guess he's still got a useful trick afterall." Tails mumbles to himself before hearing someone walk up behind him. He spins around, fearful that Shadow might really still around just to spot an injured echinda approaching him.

"He's gone, isn't he... lowly coward." Knuckles mumbles, limping and holding one of his arms.

"I think so, I don't sense him anywhere around here." He gives another belated gaze around before offering his paw to Knuckles.  
"Come on, let's go... I'll fly us to meet up with the othes in my biplane, i'm pretty sure they went back to Mobotropolis." Knuckles stares pensively at the paw before ultimately accepting it in his own as Tails leads them echinda away.

Shadow is walking through the Great Unknown during the evening, when he comes across an abandoned hulk of metal in the shape of a hedgehog. It's been severely damaged. The black-furred hedgehog kneels down on it, and opens its control panel on its chest. He curiously presses a button, unknowingly initiating its communication systems.

"Incoming message from Metal Sonic." The onboard computers of Robotnik's spacestation say.  
"What? It was destroyed..." He speaks to himself, accepting the relay.

The video is extremely choppy, but he can make out Shadow inspecting the robot.  
"Shadow! How convenient that you've discovered Metal Sonic!" Robotnik speaks into the microphone, through Metal Sonic.  
"What do you want?" Shadow asks.  
"Where have you been? I've been waiting for a status report." Robotnik says impatiently.  
"I've been to Knothole Village." Shadow smirks.  
"GYAHHH! Tell me... where is it?" He asks calmly, but excitedly.  
"Why should I tell you? I don't answer to you." Shadow replies darkly.

Robotnik blinks a couple times at the hedgehog's brazen remarks, shocked that Shadow is standing up to him.  
"I have better places to go now, and a blue hedgehog rival to destroy. See you on my own time." Shadow replies, shutting off Metal Sonic as he walks into the distance.

Robotnik's rage boils within, before exploding. He bangs his fists against the wall of the spacestation.  
"I'm so utterly TIRED of these failed projects... for the sake of my own sanity I must send in my last cyborg unit and take an extended rest in my cryogentic chamber before i'm tempted to blow up the whole damned planet!" He yells to himself.

The large dictator steps into a glass cryogenic statis tube and straps on an oxygen mask as it begins to fill with a special fluid.

"I can't believe Tails wanted us to flee, so he could handle that Shadow guy himself. Has he lost his mind?" Sonic asks, impatient and frightened for his brother.  
"Sonic, I know that Tails and Knuckles are fine. They can defend themselves." Sally speaks calmly, holding his hand.  
"Soneek, you mustn't worry about your little brothair. He..." Antoine speaks, before being interrupted.

Tails is flying high into the sky, holding onto Knuckles with his fists. He taps on the cabin door with one fist with Knuckles, smirking, waving a glove to Antoine.  
"He is right outside ze plane???" He wonders to himself, speaking out loud.  
"Tails??? Antoine, open the door and let 'im in." Sonic speaks.  
The interior of the plane becomes very windy from the high speed and moderate difference in air pressure as the door opens. Tails and Knuckles jump into the plane, and shut the door once more.

"What happened to Shadow? Are you guys alright?" Sonic asks.  
"We're fine, Sonic. The faker ran off with his tail between his legs when he started losing. No one ruins my brother's wedding and gets away with it, though." Tails speaks.  
"We'll hunt him down and find him for ya, Sonic. I don't take kindly to being shoved through an oak tree." Knuckles says, picking a couple splinters out of his arm.  
"That's way-past cool. How'd you get the super powers, though?" Sonic asks.  
"I'm a kitsune. Was born with 'em, I guess." He replies.

"Sonic, I shall have a bounty out for Shadow the Hedgehog, but right now, there's a more important matter regarding you and the princess." The king speaks, sitting across the row from the blue-furred hedgehog.  
"Whatcha mean, your highness?" Sonic asks.  
"I mean granting you the title of King Consort. When I die, Sally will become queen, and you will be her king, inheriting my place as the male sovereign of Mobius." The king replies.

Sonic remains silent, nodding his head as he listens intently. He understands that he'll need to help Sally rule the kingdom as King and Queen, but he didn't expect all the pomp and circumstance that came with it. Perhaps it's the clash of lifestyles... he's a free-living renegade who remains loyal to his friends and the crown, while she's a princess, groomed from birth to run the nation in adulthood, living in a family of top class and culture.

"Sir Sonic, kneel, please." King Max speaks.  
Sonic does as the king asks, kneeling in front of him.

The king takes the crown off of his own head, and places it on Sonic's. "As King Consort, you must uphold the values of the kingdom, and the royal family. You must rule with honour, and integrity, placing the needs of many over the needs of the few, or yourself."  
"I understand, sire." Sonic speaks.  
"Now, I know you are born free, and you go with the wind. I think the kingdom could use a relaxed adventurer like you. It would help our image to the others on Mobius. Just be careful, becuase as a king, you are now a much larger target." King Max speaks.  
"Sire, I was always a target because of my speed, and ability to bring down dorks like 'buttnik." Sonic smirks.  
"Indeed. Still, I don't want to see you killed on an adventure. Please be careful and take care of yourself." King Max replies.  
Sonic nods his head, listening well.  
"I just wish that we could have done this ceremony at a better place, instead of a plane." The King chuckles, looking around him at the plane they are riding in.  
"Hey, sometimes, crap happens and you can only roll with the punches." Sonic replies.  
"Agreed." King Max says as the plane touches down at the royal compound in Mobotropolis.

As the sun sets, Sonic and Sally go for an evening stroll through the royal courtyard. Sally and Sonic are holding each other's hand as they walk towards the gate.  
"If anyone is looking for us, we went for a stroll to the Green Hill Zone." Sally tells the guard, who nods his head.

They continue their walk through Mobotropolis towards the Green Hill Zone as the freedom fighters are partying. The newlyweds are holding hands as they walk.  
"Surprised, Sal?" Sonic asks.  
"Over what, Sonic?" She replies.  
"We defeated Robuttnik, and we're married now." Sonic replies.  
"Well, I am glad that life is returning to normal." Sally sighs, sitting down next to Sonic as they reach the hill overlooking Mobotropolis.

As the full moon climbs higher into the dark, star-filled sky, they hear cheers and wolf howls from the people in Mobotropolis, celebrating the liberation of their city. The celebrations are smaller than the ones days before, but still a sight to behold, as long-separated families are reunited with friends and loved ones.

A small twinkle on the ground in the distance catches Sally's eye. Soon, the twinkle is joined by several following closely in a line.  
"Sal, what's that?" Sonic asks, looking with the princess.  
"I think it's a sign of good times coming back." She says.  
"Those are people?" Sonic asks.  
"Yes. They've been returning from exile in the Great Forest for weeks now. That line of lights is the headlights from their cars." She explains, cuddling close to Sonic.  
"Cars? Man, I completely forgot about those things. Been so long since I seen one or heard of one." Sonic sighs as he cuddles Sally, hugging her with his left arm.  
"Well, now we can enjoy all the things we were missing." She gives his nose a soft kiss.

Sonic hugs Sally closely, kissing her. "Sal, ever since I first saw ya, I loved ya."  
Sally blushes as she kisses back. "I always knew you were meant for me. The cute, blue hedgehog boy that's now my brave husband."  
The hedgehog holds his newlywed close to him, keeping her warm from the slight chill of the night's breeze while they gaze up at the stars and the full moon overhead.  
The two soulmates gradually fall asleep in each other's arms, against the tree on the hill.

Sonic and Sally awaken in each other's arms as the sun rises over the horizon. Sonic yawns and gives Sally a kiss on her forehead.  
"Good mornin', princess." He whispers to her.  
"Good morning, Prince Sonic." She replies.  
"Didya sleep well?" He asks.  
"I did." She replies.

The young couple are slightly surprised to hear someone calling for them in the distance. Sonic stands up and sees it's Bunnie and Tails looking around for them.  
"This is embarassing... we spent all night out here. Is that really royal behaviour?" Sonic asks.  
Sally giggles. "No, not really..."  
Sonic blushes a bit as he helps her up.  
"But then again, I never was a fan for all the uptight rituals. You'll do well as a fun-loving and relaxed King, Sonic. We can relax and hang loose." She replies, rubbing his shoulder.  
"You're right, Sal." He replies.  
"As always." She winks.  
"Oh yeah?" Sonic replies.

"Sonic? Sally? Where are y'all?" Bunnie calls out to them.  
"Bunnie, we're up here on the hill!" Sally replies, waving to her friends.  
"Sally! You and Sonic had us all worried! We thought somthin' happened." Bunnie replies.  
"No... Just spending some time with Sonic." She smiles, walking down the hill's slope with Sonic.  
"So, you two spent the night out here?" Tails asks.  
"Yeah, we just relaxed and kept each other warm." Sonic replies, fuzzling Tails' headfur.  
"Aww... I always knew the princess loooooved ya." Tails chuckles, giving Sonic a mock kiss on the cheek before jumping back and laughing.  
"Get outta here, ya scamp!" Sonic chuckles.

The four friends begin walking back towards the royal compound in Mobotropolis.


End file.
